‘We need to see the damage’: Call for forestry assessment in Leitrim

Leitrim has seen a significant expansion of forestry over the past nearly 50 years, prompting concerns that the resulting environmental impacts have not been adequately assessed or investigated.

A call was made for Leitrim County Council to urge the Minister of State for Forestry, Niall Collins TD, to commission and fund an independent, county-wide assessment of the cumulative environmental impacts of more than 32,000 hectares of commercial forestry in Leitrim.

The motion was put forward by Cllr Justin Warnock, who called for the assessment to examine water quality, biodiversity, peatlands, wetlands, carbon emissions, flooding and clear-felling.

His motion also called on the council to seek the publication of all Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening records and full EIAs undertaken in Leitrim, alongside a review of whether cumulative impacts are being adequately considered in future forestry licensing decisions under Irish and EU environmental law.

Cllr Warnock raised concerns about the scale of forestry expansion in the county and the need to examine its combined environmental effects.

He argued that assessing individual plantations may not provide a complete picture of the pressures on the local environment, particularly where multiple developments exist within the same catchment or landscape.

“In 1922 there was approximately 1,500 hectares of forestry in Leitrim,” he said, adding that by 1980 that went up to 17,000 hectares.

“Between 1980 and 2023, there were 12,410 more hectares of forestry planted in Leitrim,” he added. “Our rivers and lakes are being impacted by the amount of forestation in the county. The damage that’s being done,” he said, stressing the need for a full Environmental Impact Assessment.

“We need to see the damage that is done and that continues to be done by the amount of conifers and plantations in this county.”

The motion received the full support of council members.