Coillte remains committed to planting an additional 100,000ha of new forests by 2050 despite the serious opposition generated by its deal with Gresham House.

While the State forestry body has admitted that further tie-ups with private investment funds were not being considered by the organisation, it stated that planting an additional 3,500ha per year remains its long-term strategic vision.

“Coillte’s long-term strategic vision is to enable the creation of 100,000ha of new forests by 2050, half of which will be native woodlands,” the State forestry company told the Irish Farmers Journal.

It said that its plan would involve three different initiatives including the use of public lands, its Nature Trust and its tie up with the controversial Irish Strategic Forestry Fund (ISFF) which was launched recently by Gresham House.

In terms of the use of public lands for afforestation, Coillte said it was currently in discussions with other State bodies such as Bord na Móna.

“We are also, however, considering how we could potentially work more closely with farmers to deliver afforestation, or acquire land directly if State-aid rules were changed, and in a way that supports the environment and the rural economy,” Coillte added.

They should go to farmers and the rural economy and must not be used by the State to encourage investment funds to purchase Irish land and forestry

Coillte has been excluded under EU state-aid rules from drawing down grants and premia supports for afforestation since the 1990s.

Meanwhile, the Irish Forestry Owners (IFO) group has called on the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to reverse current government policy that allows investment funds to draw down exchequer-funded forestry grants and premiums.

“The ethos under which forestry premiums are paid is to cover the income foregone by farmers resulting from afforestation of agricultural land. They should go to farmers and the rural economy and must not be used by the State to encourage investment funds to purchase Irish land and forestry,” said IFO chair Nicholas Sweetman. Meanwhile, opposition to the Coillte-Gresham House deal hit the streets last week, with a protest outside the Dáil by the ‘Save Our Forests Alliance’.