The Emerald Forest: Why Irish farmers aren’t happy about some American trees

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After the Irish fought for and won their independence from the British in 1921, they had a problem. Centuries of exploitation had left the island one of the least forested nations in Europe, with less than 2% tree cover. So, they started planting a non-native American tree: fast-growing Sitka spruce capable of rebuilding their timber resources in record time. And it worked. Today, about 12% of the island is forested. But in the rural areas where iconic rolling hills have been replaced by rows and rows of conifers, farmers are not happy. Outside/In host Nate Hegyi takes us to County Leitrim, an area of Ireland hit hard by the Troubles and the Great Famine, to meet the townspeople who are fighting what they say is a new wave of colonialism: Sitka spruce plantations. Produced by Nate Hegyi. For a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org. Featuring: Justin Warnock, Brian Smyth, Donal Magner, Liam Byrne and Jodie Asselin SUPPORT To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a voicemail. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No question is too serious or too silly. Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or BlueSky, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKS Donal Magner wrote a book covering the history of Ireland’s forests and timber industry. Sitka spruce plantations are controversial in other parts of Ireland as well, including Cork. There are also efforts to rewild parts of Ireland with entirely native trees and to protect and restore carbon-sequestering bogs. It can be really tough to figure out exactly what was growing in Ireland thousands of years ago – but these scientists used ancient pollen counts to figure it out. Researchers at University College Dublin produced a detailed socio-economic impact report on sitka spruce plantations and County Leitrim in 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Check one, two, one, two, one two, check one two.
0:05.0	Hey, this is that side in. I'm Nate Hedgey.
0:08.0	And right now I am starting to buy a bunch of sheep.
0:16.0	So a few months ago, I was standing on a hill in northwest Ireland.
0:22.6	And it was like everything I expected the emerald aisle to look like.
0:27.6	Soft green grass, a rainbow at one point, and of course, a farmer tending to his flock.
0:34.6	Sometimes it can be tedious, but it's lovely when the first lamb arrives.
0:39.3	You know it's all worth it.
0:41.1	This muddy, steep hill is Justin Warnock's backyard.
0:45.4	He drives up here every morning on a quad bike.
0:48.0	That's what the Irish call a four-wheeler,
0:49.7	and shovels out some pellets for the sheep.
0:54.8	It's a nice day today, but we've been up here blowing snow and sleet and rain, wind.
0:59.7	We get a lot of that here, but it's beautiful.
1:02.9	You can see the Atlantic Ocean, the Dundigar Mountains, so you have a great view from here.
1:08.1	This is a view that Irish farmers like Justin have been looking at for a very, very long time.
1:15.5	There are Gaelic surnames and traditions that date back to the time of the Roman Empire.
1:21.0	People have been tending livestock here since before King Tut ruled ancient Egypt.
1:26.7	These iconic rolling hills, they're not just for Instagram.
1:30.7	They are a part of Ireland's soul. Our DNA is here. There's no doubt about that. My family
1:37.7	have been around here for over three 400 years in the Canock area, so, you know, so we're well-bedded in.
1:43.6	Well-bedded in, I like that.
	...

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