List of forests in Ireland

This is an incomplete list of forests in Ireland.

Contents

• Ulster
• Munster
• Leinster
• Connacht
• References

Upon the first arrival of humans in Ireland around 9,000 years ago, the entire island was predominantly covered in a blanket of thick woodland. These woodlands consisted largely of Oak and Pine forests. However, centuries of heavy deforestation meant that by the end of the 19th century the area of woodland and forest cover in Ireland was estimated to be approximately 69,000 hectares, or 1% of the national land area. During the first 75 years of the 20th century forestry in Ireland was almost exclusively carried out by the State and by 1985 forest and woodland cover had increased to approximately 420,000 hectares. The mid 1980s saw a significant increase in private forest development, with the introduction of EU funded grant schemes aimed at encouraging private land owners, mainly farmers, to become involved in forestry. As a result, the area of national forest estate in Ireland has now increased to approximately 700,000 hectares. Of this, approximately 45% is in private ownership and 55% is in the ownership of Coillte. It must be remembered that the vast majority of forestry plantings in Ireland are non-native species, chiefly Sitka Spruce with the consequent damage to biodiversity and the environment.