The Dealer sees that Coillte appears to be gearing up to take a more proactive role in the whole afforestation space.

At the recent national forestry conference, the State body reiterated its commitment to plant 100,000ha by 2050.

This equates to 3,500ha per year and is almost double the current rate of private planting which fell to just 2,000ha in 2021.

A senior Coillte official stated that the State body aimed to plant a mix of conifers and native hardwoods.

But The Dealer wonders how will the State body fund this commitment given that it has been prevented from receiving planting grants and afforestation premiums since the 1990s?

The well-publicised link-up with insurer Aviva to plant 400ha of oak, alder, birch and blackthorn offers a possible route for Coillte to achieve its native woodland goals if other private-sector partners can be identified.

Partners for the planting of conifers may not be as easy to source.

However, there are strong rumours within the sector of a tie-up between Coillte and a major UK-based asset management consortium. If true, such a move could potentially offer a solution to this particular conundrum.

As with housing, Ireland Inc is looking to foreign investment funds to solve problems within the forestry sector, which are entirely of our own making.

But while this move may offer “a quick-fix” solution, The Dealer questions whether it is the correct solution.