Madam, - The report in your edition of August 5th headed "Untouched forests hold much more CO2 than estimated" captures some of the importance of forests. Unfortunately, in the current economic downturn our nation's woodlands are one of the first casualties of "budgetary constraints".
All our forestry support schemes have been suspended by the Government. This risks dismantling the emerging private forestry sector and with it many of forestry's mainly rural 16,000 jobs.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley recently warned farmers ( The Irish Times, June 6th) that they may have to cut the size of the national herd if Ireland is to meet the EU's tough CO2 emissions reduction targets. Forests are our only significant carbon sink for absorbing these emissions, yet the new calf suckler welfare scheme introduced in 2008 for farmers will cost the Government more than the nation's afforestation programme this year.
Even with forestry's well acknowledged environmental, social and economic contributions there is no outcry from the Greens, or indeed much of our media, at the removal of Ireland's forestry support schemes. Future generations will pay the price.
- Yours, etc,
DONAL WHELAN, Irish Timber Growers' Association, Castle Street, Dalkey, Co Dublin.