The Future of the Forestry Sector in Ireland

The most recent government strategy statement on forestry sets a planting target of 20,000 hectares annually for the Republic of Ireland, but in recent years this target has not been met. Public afforestation is now limited to the management and replacement of existing forests, so private afforestation must increase if this target is to be achieved. This article quantifies the relative importance of competing forestry and agricultural policy incentives in explaining trends in private afforestation. Several policy reforms to encourage forestry planting are proposed, including greater integration of forestry with the Rural Environment Protection Scheme and increasing the upfront payments which farmers receive.