In a promotional video posted online by the Department of Agriculture, Michael Healy-Rae, Minister of State with responsibility for forestry, foregrounded his personal experience having planted a “forestry plantation” in his early twenties. He also recently purchased more forestry.
It can be rare for a minister – junior or senior – to have especially relevant expertise to bring to the role they’re given, but in this case, Healy-Rae has literally got his hands dirty. Unfortunately, some recent comments suggest this may be where his expertise ends.
Recently, Healy-Rae gave a speech in the Seanad about forestry. In these remarks, he advocated planting on peatland. This plan would be a reversal of Government policy, counter to Government restrictions and European Union policy around afforestation, and terrible for the environment and biodiversity.
The science is clear: it would release carbon, worsening Ireland‘s very poor trajectory on meeting carbon reduction targets, and would obliterate progress made on rewetting peatlands. Speaking to The Journal, a professor of climate change at Maynooth University, Peter Thorne, described planting forestry on peatlands as “environmental vandalism” and “about the dumbest thing we can do”.
‘Am I too old to wear this?’: It’s a question I never thought I’d ask but here I am
This photo strips the camogie skorts controversy back to its absurd essence
Albania has been dubbed ‘the Maldives of Europe’, but there’s so much more to this fascinating country
Michael Healy-Rae’s trees-on-peatland plan is environmental vandalism
In his remarks, Healy-Rae referred to forestry that fell during Storm Eowyn as “the product”. He said “it is great to see our natural resource being turned into fine products” when discussing farmed trees going to sawmills. But such trees are not a “natural resource”. They are a non-native monocultural species that degrade the landscape and do little for biodiversity.
There are questions to be asked about why someone who would attempt to pursue such policies would be given the brief of forestry
Fianna Fáil senator Paul Daly also pitched planting on peat: “There is an argument made that when peaty soil is disturbed when sowing trees, it releases a certain amount of carbon and that this amount may not be weighed against the sequestration of the tree.”
Daly’s version of events is not about “an argument”, it is about science. “Considering all these advantages of a tree, maybe a little carbon loss at planting might not be bad at all,” he continued. This is nonsense. Of course it is bad.
Fine Gael Senator Paraic Brady also advocated for planting on peatland, saying: “A lot of regions I have mentioned have peaty rich soil. It has grown timber very successfully in the past. Trees such as Sitka spruce have been grown in the soil. There is no reason why such trees cannot grow again. We need a package to be put in place in order that the soil can be replanted.” Again, a patently bad idea.
Thankfully, some senators spoke sense. Sinn Féin senator Joanne Collins made the obvious point that “the process of draining, planting, harvesting and replanting peatlands is contributing to carbon emissions, not reducing them. Afforestation on peatlands must stop.”
Her fellow party member, Senator Pauline Tully, also said: “Peatland that has forest on it needs to be returned to peatland because we are losing more carbon than we are saving.”
In the face of these factual points, Healy-Rae bucked both sense and science and said his officials in the Department will “look at planting more peatland”. He added: “Farmers want to plant peatland.”
There are questions to be asked about why someone who would attempt to pursue such policies would be given the brief of forestry. But Government knew exactly what it was getting when it made that choice.
Healy-Rae has an opportunity to lead by example in a way that makes sense not just for farmers, but for Ireland and for nature. He has experience in forestry. Why then, considering his brief, is he pitching such a ridiculous idea? Is it about generating more income for farmers today, and to hell with tomorrow? Farmers need to be paid well and encouraged to plant native broadleaf trees and help nature. They are key partners in all of this. Short-term, populist, destructive plans will not work for anyone.
Because of human behaviour, there is much about the climate crisis we cannot change
In the big picture, there will be no money to be made, because the fines on Ireland for breaching our climate, carbon and emissions targets will be enormous. The degradation of our land more generally will devastate farmers in the long-term.
There is no returning to the past. The experts are clear that planting forestry on peatlands was, and is, a grave mistake. In the past, we did not have the scientific knowledge to fully appreciate the negative impact of obliterating peatland. But we do know now.
The future of forestry in Ireland should be a nature-first, non-commercial approach, where native woodlands and rewilding form the tenets of our attempt to address the degradation of our land.
Because of human behaviour, there is much about the climate crisis we cannot change. Yet we can make positive changes that would radically improve the countryside. One of those is ending open grazing by sheep, deer and goats. Another is replacing commercial tree-crop plantations with native forestry.
Any attempt to reverse the small gains that have been made by once again desecrating peatlands is environmentally reckless and against the national interest.
