Teagasc has reported strong demand for its forestry clinics from both farmers and non-farmers.

There has been a particular increase in farmers under 40 who were interested in planting land, according to Teagasc forester Noel Kennedy.

He said that these farmers are mostly farming part-time and are looking for a way to make their farms more profitable in the long-term.

Farmers attending clinics were typically looking to plant around 7ha, usually on outfarms, to make them more commercially viable.

Teagasc don’t deal with vulture fund enquiries

“Non-farmers that come into us are people who quite commonly inherited land and are looking for an alternative to renting,” Kennedy said.

There have been concerns in certain parts of Ireland, particularly Leitrim, that foreign investors, or so-called vulture funds, could be buying marginal land to plant trees and avail of tax-free payments.

However, Kennedy explained that non-farmers looking to plant land usually had a family connection to it.

“Teagasc don’t deal with vulture fund enquiries,” Kennedy told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Teagasc carried out 350 consultations nationwide, with Kennedy himself carrying out 40 consultations in Roscommon, Mayo and Galway.

Marginal

He explained that the marginal acidic nature of that land meant that it was mainly only suitable for conifer planting.

However, he added that Teagasc forestry advisers had seen an interest in planting across all counties, with other counties more suitable to native woodland.

Any forestry plantation could now only be 70% conifer, with a remaining 15% set aside for broadleaf and another 15% set aside for biodiversity measures.

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