More than one in every 10 acres in Ireland is under forestry, according to the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture.

Up to 10.5% or 731,650ha of land growing trees by the end of 2016, with Ireland reaching its highest level of afforestation in the last 350 years, according to Forest Statistics - Ireland 2017, published last Friday.

The number of non-farmers planting forestry has grown sharply in recent years, driven by government policy.

New forestry plantings fell by 48% between 1997 and 2017 to 5,536ha planted in 2017.

In an attempt to combat the decrease in planting, the government allowed non-farmers to apply for the same rate of forestry premia as farmers.

As a result, the number of non-farmers in receipt of forestry premia jumped by 35%. The average forestry parcel size for non-farmers almost doubled in two years, from 3.6ha in 2014 to 6.6ha in 2016.

The growth in non-farmer involvement in forestry has divided opinion. Some see the growth as a positive response to a government incentive. Others believe it can have a detrimental impact on local communities, and push land prices out of reach for local farmers.

In Co Leitrim, the number of non-farmer plantings jumped from a zero base in 2011 to 195 in 2016.

Neighbouring Co Longford saw non-farmer plantings rise from none in 2011 to 128 in 2016.

Local councillors in Leitrim unanimously backed a move earlier this month to review local planning permissions for forestry in response to concerns regarding non-farmer planting.

Overall, however, farmers still owned 83% of all afforested private land in 2016. Over 50% of land in receipt of forestry premiums was owned by people over 60, indicating that planting trees is a popular option for farmers as they age.

  • In 2016, 34% of harvested roundwood was used for energy generation.
  • Cork had highest level of afforestation with 608ha in 2016.
  • 33% jump in forestry parcels changing hands to 543 in 2016.
  • People employed in wood and wood products fell from 5,530 in 2011 to 4,000 in 2016.
  • Overall forestry expenditure by the Department decreased from €124,819m in 2007 to €103,826m in 2016.
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