Ireland

Forests in Ireland today cover 470,000 hectares or 7% of Ireland's landmass. At the turn of the century, Ireland was just like Scotland, even worse; it was covering only 1% of the landmass. Today, 80% of Ireland’s forests are owned publicly, just like most countries in Europe. The Irish Forestry Board has been responsible for the management of these forests since 1989 and 20% of forests are currently in private hands. Reforestation is a major current issue in Ireland and includes many problems out of which mainly are government concerns which are that due to Ireland’s extensive use of land, forestry is likely to take in archaeological importance. Today, Ireland produces only 55% of its wood needs.