A Longford senator says people are fearful of planting trees because of forestry protests in Leitrim. Fine Gael's Paraic Brady is concerned about the drop in afforestation rates. He told the Seanad 79 hectares fewer were planted in Ireland last year than in 2023. Senator Brady says the sector needs to grow again - and the government should make it more financially attractive:
The sector was put into a deeper crisis in January when Storm Eowyn blew down 25,000 hectares of trees. But Forestry Minister Michael Healy-Rae says there were already problems:
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