A conference will take place in Co. Tipperary tomorrow (Saturday, March 25) on the issue of ash dieback, the damage it does, and how it can be addressed.
The meeting, which will take place at Semple Stadium in Thurles, is organised by the Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners (LTWO) group.
Farmers and woodland owners from all over the country are invited to attend.
The conference, titled Ash Dieback 2023, is “organised by woodland owners for woodland owners”.
Farmers in attendance will be talking about the devastation caused by ash dieback and debating proposals for how to recover from it.
Speakers will include representatives from Teagasc, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Irish Forest Owners (IFO), affected woodland owners, forestry contractors, and scientific experts.
There will also be time devoted for debate and questions from the audience.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, LTWO chairperson Simon White said: “We desperately need to plant more trees to combat climate change and we need more broadleaf trees to increase biodiversity. Yet almost all 123 million ash trees in Ireland are doomed because of ash dieback.
“This is causing devastation to the environment, to the woodland owners who stand to lose decades of investment, and is making prospective woodland owners very reluctant to plant trees,” he added.
“But we also want to look to the future and discuss solutions to this problem. So I’m delighted that we have a range of speakers who will tackle this problem from many different angles,” the LTWO chairperson said.
The conference will start at 10:00a.m.
Devastation of ash dieback
Earlier this month, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) forestry committee chairperson Jason Fleming said that consecutive government ministers had failed to fully appreciate the devastation caused by ash dieback.
He said that an interim scheme brought forward by the government, while approval is awaited from the EU for the new national forestry programme “does not acknowledge the financial cost to farmers”.
Fleming added that this is “a serious blow to those whose ash woodlands have been devastated by this disease”.