The scale of investor planting that has taken place in recent years in Co Leitrim is not captured in the recent forestry report, IFA forestry chair Vincent Nally has cautioned.

Nally said the figures were a snapshot based on 2017 figures and since the removal of the farmer premium differential investor planting had increased.

“The removal of the farmer differential and the increase in forest premium payments to non-farmers is behind a lot of the negative attitudes to forestry. From my initial reading of the report, it does not analyse the longer-term downstream impact on local communities of this scale of investor planting."

Nally encouraged farmers to take time to digest the report which contained “useful information on the value of forestry to the county as well as the social impacts for those living there”.

He stressed the importance of better understanding the impact of forestry so policies that support farm forestry and ensure greater consultation with local communities can be formulated.

Contribution

The report estimated the economic contribution of forestry and wood processing in Leitrim to be €26.5m. There was also an estimated 310 jobs supported by the sector.

Two-thirds of Leitrim forests are owned and managed by farmers, with investors owning 26% of the forests while 5% of forests were inherited.

Nally said the inherited forest category is relatively new and shows the possibilities of intergenerational exchange and retention of the homestead by family members who might not be in a position to farm the land conventionally.

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