Green Party motion to transition forestry strategy from an industrial model to a close-to-nature, continuous cover model passed in the Dáil today, October 17th.
The current disconnected approach of planting fast growing non-native trees and clear-felling them, has created serious environmental problems and community backlash around the country.
The new way, outlined in the Green Party motion, is a more connected approach using native trees, continuous cover, a close-to-nature approach, with community and farmer support.
The motion passed 70 to 38 votes.
Green Party Agriculture Spokesperson Pippa Hackett <www.greenparty.ie/people/pippa-hackett> said:
“Communities impacted by forestry in Ireland have highlighted the need for a change in our afforestation model. Farmers themselves would appreciate a more flexible approach to planting.
“Now we see that politicians are catching up. It is vital if we want to use forestry to reduce out impact on the climate that we do it in a way that improves the environment, and benefits farmers and their farms.
“The benefits of the right kind of forestry are multiple. They can improve our air and water, stabilise soils, they can support biodiversity, protect against flooding, shelter livestock, provide a renewable resource of wood and food, and take carbon from our atmosphere.
Prior to the motion, Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD <www.greenparty.ie/people/eamon-ryan/>said:
“Our Dáil motion is calling for a historic change in Irish forestry policy. Rather than just focusing on short-rotation plantations and lumber production we want our trees to address the biodiversity as well as the climate crises that we face.
“The expansion in commercial forests has come at the expense of our wildlife. It is now time to change our ways and restore nature in every Irish landscape, neighbourhood, farm, home and street.
“The forestry sector has delivered a huge increase in plantations but the next stage for the industry will be a switch to a more diversified and natural forestry model which increases other flora and fauna and helps restore our local communities.
“Central to our motion is the setting of a new national land use plan which plots out how we can manage all our land in this better way. Some areas are going to be rewilded, other areas will see the self-seeding of native woodlands, and in other areas we will be managing the forests in a way that allows light in and a mixed canopy develop which produces high-quality wood products and beautiful forests to walk within.
“We would start the ball rolling by commissioning every single farm across the country to plant a special hectare of native woodland which helps us meet our immediate climate targets and helps create wildlife corridors that also help improve water quality and our flood management systems.
“Every other party is now saying they want to adopt the green agenda. We say welcome aboard and let’s use this moment to completely change our relationship with and stewardship of the natural world. It will increase our resilience to climate change, rely on nature to help us reduce our emissions and take carbon back out of the atmosphere, and restore some of the habitats and species we have lost. In doing so it will provide new economic opportunities in rural areas, and improve quality of life for all.”
View more here: www.greenparty.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/m270919a.pdf?utm_source=Green+Party&utm_campaign=114911d840-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_01_10_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_da38bad449-114911d840-47195619 <www.greenparty.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/m270919a.pdf?utm_source=Green+Party&utm_campaign=114911d840-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_01_10_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_da38bad449-114911d840-47195619>