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 17% 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 But in the rural areas where iconic rolling hills have been replaced by rows and rows of conifers, farmers are not happy.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.

Featuring Justin Warnock, Brian Smyth, Donal Magner, Liam Byrne and Jodie Asselin.

This episode originally aired in March 2025.

Produced by Nate Hegyi. For a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org.

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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.

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The Emerald Forest