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Outside/In: Why these Irish farmers aren’t happy about American trees

In Ireland's County Leitrim, a group of locals is fighting against Sitka spruce tree plantations.
Nate Hegyi
In Ireland's County Leitrim, a group of locals is fighting against Sitka spruce tree plantations.

After the Irish fought for and won their independence from the British in 1921, they had a problem. Centuries of exploitation had left the island one of the least forested nations in Europe, with less than 2% tree cover.

So, they started planting a non-native American tree: fast-growing Sitka spruce, capable of rebuilding their timber resources in record time. And it worked. Today, about 12% of the island is forested. But in the rural areas where iconic rolling hills have been replaced by rows and rows of conifers, farmers are not happy.

Outside/In host Nate Hegyi takes us to County Leitrim, an area of Ireland hit hard by the Troubles and the Great Famine, to meet the townspeople who are fighting what they say is a new wave of colonialism: Sitka spruce plantations.

Sheep farmer Justin Warnock stands in a Neolithic stone circle on his property.
Nate Hegyi
Sheep farmer Justin Warnock stands in a Neolithic stone circle on his property.

LINKS

Donal Magner wrote a book covering the history of Ireland’s forests and timber industry.

Sitka spruce plantations are controversial in other parts of Ireland as well, including Cork.

There are also efforts to rewild parts of Ireland with entirely native trees and to protect and restore carbon-sequestering bogs.

It can be really tough to figure out exactly what was growing in Ireland thousands of years ago — but these scientists used ancient pollen counts to figure it out.

Researchers at University College Dublin produced a detailed socio-economic impact report on sitka spruce plantations and County Leitrim in 2019.

Outside/In is a show where curiosity and the natural world collide. Click here for podcast episodes and more.
Before joining New Hampshire Public Radio in February 2022, Nate covered public lands, federal agencies and tribal affairs as a reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, a consortium of NPR member stations in the region. Nate's work has aired on NPR, BBC, CBC and other outlets.
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