Sir, Your correspondent Ann Luke (hon. secretary, Trees for Ireland) comes across as a very nice lady. Perhaps she doesn't know the truth? Some 25,000 hectares a year are currently being planted in Ireland, and she says we should all be proud.
From where I am, that's 25,000 hectares (of the most wild and most beautiful parts) of Ireland disappearing annually under (mainly) blanket sitka-spruce afforestation. That means dead rivers and lakes (and an acidified water supply for all); dead corridors of uniform green stretching for miles (not good for animals and absolutely lousy for woman, children and man) and bum trips for tourists and visitors. It means farms swallowed up, rural communities isolated and general tons of negative crap all around.
Of course there's the EU millions - now maybe that's why there's nothing but a chorus of: "There's nothing wrong! Everything is wonderful!" from those involved.
Or has watching up here made me cynical of anyone in power taking a realistic look at what's going on? A warm invitation to all Irish Times readers (and the rest of the universe) to come up and, witness the reality of forestry as defined by Coillte et al.
Here's to trees. - Yours, etc.,
Hollywood,
West Wicklow.