Planting more native tree species, more engagement with local communities and flexibility on land use are among the major findings of a new national survey on forestry.
Around a quarter of the respondents to the survey were from Kerry.
There were 811 responses to the UCD Environmental Policy study on a new long-term vision for Irish forestry; 659 were community members and 152 were farmers.
194 of the responses came from Kerry; both farmers and community members want more native trees to be planted.
Farmers want flexibility in terms of the requirement that private afforested land must remain in permanent forestry use; they also pointed to current levels of bureaucracy with one farmer waiting nearly three years for approval for a native woodland.
The majority of respondents believe Irish forestry should prioritise biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change over supporting the local economy, a finding that UCD MA student Daniel Carr, who helped conduct the study found surprising:
The study recommends payments for ecosystem services and carbon sequestration, promoting ecotourism and careful consideration where conifers are planted to prevent water acidification.
The survey will be among the data considered by the next Government when forming a new forestry policy.
You can hear more about the survey on Agritime here on Radio Kerry from 7pm.
