Afforestation in Ireland — regional differences in attitude

The Irish Government proposes to double the Irish forest estate from its current level of 9% of the land area by the year 2030. This paper reports the results of surveys which show strongly contrasting preferences, perceptions and attitudes between two case study populations, one of which is discovered to be very positively disposed towards forestry, the other, with an agricultural economy, found to be highly critical. Such diverging relationships highlight the need to develop regionally applicable forestry policies and strategies rather than using those which are generic and can be crudely applied at a national scale.