Preserving Ireland’s Ancient Woodlands: The Clash Between Conservation and Industrial Forestry

In the heart of Correl Glen nature reserve in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, retired researcher John Spence stands near a clearing, describing it almost as if it were part of Lapland. “You could make a Nordic movie here and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” he says. Spence points out a diverse array of flora, including oak, hazel, birch, ash, and alder trees, alongside rare ferns and an abundance of lichen, evidence of a once-vibrant temperate rainforest.

Spence (a marine ecologist by career) explains that these are remnants of Ireland’s ancient rainforests, scattered over the region, primarily in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Today, this fragment is surrounded by dense coniferous plantations. “When I was young in the 50s, there was none of this coniferous forest,” he gestures, indicating a darkening grid of pine. “It was all moorland.”

The Woodland Trust reports that only 0.04% of Northern Ireland’s land consists of trees classified as ancient. In the Republic of Ireland, fewer than 2% of woods are native, and pre-Tudor and Elizabethan forests are even rarer. Ecologists emphasize the urgent need to find, preserve, and expand these precious fragments. However, this goal faces a new threat from large-scale plantations of non-native pine.

The Threat of Industrial Forestry

Eddie Mitchell, living about 18 miles (30km) away in Leitrim, has witnessed his family land shrink over time. He feels the land and the people are “being displaced.” An acute housing shortage exacerbates the issue, but the expansion of new forests, particularly monocultures of conifers, adds to the pressure.

Despite these challenges, both countries aim to increase their woodland cover significantly. The Republic of Ireland plans to reach an 18% overall coverage by 2050, while Northern Ireland must boost its afforestation rates eightfold by 2039 to meet its net zero targets. Yet, Mitchell argues these new forests, often dominated by non-native conifers like sitka spruce, are more akin to industrial monocultures rather than healthy ecosystems.

The Impact on Local Communities

In remote counties like Leitrim, negative memories of past commercial forestry and rural depopulation have fueled anxieties over current practices. Mitchell criticizes the “plantation”-based model, noting its emphasis on sitka spruce, an industrial approach that replaces lost woodland with non-native species.

“We see commercial forestry as a form of extraction here,” Mitchell states. He highlights instances where new forests blocked sunlight, making residents feel isolated. Pat Glennon, director of Glennon Brothers, a timber firm in Fermanagh, counters this by stating past planting was sometimes “wrong,” but current regulations prevent trees from being planted within 60 meters of homes and mandate setting aside 15% of plantation land for biodiversity.

The Ecological Argument

Ecologists caution that conifer plantations, particularly sitka spruce, harm native biodiversity and peat bogs, vital carbon sinks. Eoghan Daltun, a rewilding farmer in Beara peninsula, underscores the ecological disaster posed by these monocultures. “Ecologically, it’s a disaster because these places are dead zones. It’s a disaster for local communities in areas like Leitrim where people end up surrounded and hemmed in by these walls of dark deadness,” he says.