Cllr ‘glad’ to see awareness of forestry concerns growing

The Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council has expressed cautious satisfaction at the growing public concern over afforestation. For years, the Fianna Fáil representative from Blacklion has been one of the few voices opposing the expansion of commercial forestry, highlighting its negative impact on families and communities in west Cavan. However, he acknowledged that the issue is now gaining attention faster than expected.

“When it was west of the Glan Gap, it only affected a small number of people,” he observed.

Across the border in County Leitrim, voluntary campaign group Save Leitrim has also drawn attention to the rising number of forestry plantations and their social and economic effects. Earlier this month, the group held a public meeting at Kildallan Community Centre to highlight how national forestry policy disproportionately affects counties like Leitrim, with over 20% forest cover, and Cavan, at over 10%.

Several local councillors attended, including Independent Brendan Fay, who recently tabled a motion at the November Cavan County Council meeting calling on the Ministers for Agriculture and Environment to strengthen rules around planting near public roads and power lines.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Fay warned that the “mass purchase of agricultural land for commercial forestry”, often by non-local or investment-focused entities, is driving up land prices, displacing farming families, closing local schools, and eroding Irish culture and community life.

He criticised existing forestry and planning regulations, including the Forestry Act 2014, for failing to mandate protective setbacks and ongoing maintenance standards and called for “fundamental and legally binding” reforms to recognise the social impact of concentrated afforestation, including county-level caps, particularly in areas already exceeding 15% forest cover.

Cllr Fay also proposed restructuring afforestation grants to prioritise genuine farm forestry and local ownership, restricting large-scale purchases by non-local investors, and introducing mandatory Social Impact Assessments for all forestry licenses over five hectares.

Additionally, Cllr Fay urged urgent legislation to protect infrastructure and public safety, including legally mandated 20m safety corridors around overhead lines, financial bonds to cover road damage, annual roadside tree and hedge maintenance, and restrictions on large-scale planting until these measures are enacted. He also called for a temporary halt on major afforestation, a ‘Right Tree, Right Place’ policy, and limits on tree height near overhead wires.

“Our current forestry policy is simply not sustainable. We are creating future ecological and infrastructural disasters while sacrificing our rural way of life. Ministers must act now to put people and safety ahead of profit by introducing legally binding reforms on ownership, maintenance, and responsible planting,” said Cllr Fay. His motion was supported in the council chamber by Fianna Fáil’s Áine Smith, who agreed that investment companies are increasingly forcing locals out of the land market.

“The planting of forests is never going to stop, but it should be done responsibly,” she said, noting that local groups have led the campaign, and national politicians now need to act.

Sinn Féin’s Damien Brady, like others, attended the Kildallan meeting. He stressed that he is not opposed to forestry but warned that “dumping all in West Cavan” is unsustainable.

Cllr Brady too echoed calls to review national policy, particularly setback distances, and criticised national forestry agency Coillte for failing to rein in the issue.

“They’d plant trees out on the road if they could,” he quipped. Support for the motion also came from Fine Gael’s Trevor Smith and Fianna Fáil’s Patricia Walsh before Cllr Feeley joined the debate. He acknowledged the work of Save Leitrim but said the challenges facing affected communities are long-standing, having been raised “for generations".

Cllr Feeley noted that the ‘Right Tree, Right Place’ policy is a step toward addressing past problems but pointed out that existing policies have not prevented issues such as trees falling onto roads or powerlines, causing blackouts. He criticised the department responsible for issuing licences and handling appeals as being both “judge, jury, and executioner”, arguing that reform and independence are needed to prioritise people over profit.

The Blacklion rep also highlighted the impact on tourism, saying visitors do not want to see a monoculture of Sitka spruce, and argued that the council’s planning department should have greater autonomy to assess forestry applications. Despite these limitations, he noted that elements addressing afforestation are already embedded in the County Development Plan.

Accusing Coillte of being a “bad neighbour”, Cllr Feeley said he has no issue with locals who own forestry but he drew the line at investors from areas such as the Golden Vale in the south snapping up land for planting.