Coillte withdraw application for extensive new Limerick woodlands following objections

COILLTE has withdrawn plans for a 54-acre woodland in West Limerick following strong objections.

The state-owned commercial forestry business announced that the application, which was for Cragg, Abbeyfeale, has been withdrawn following opposition from a West Limerick and North Kerry anglers’ group.

In a statement to Limerick Live, they said: "Coillte routinely applies for licenses to plant and fell trees and to build forest roads across its forest estate.  Coillte’s afforestation application (CN 88559) was approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but was then subsequently appealed."

Limerick Live understands the application was for a mixture of confer trees such as Sitka spruce, as well as broadleaf trees such as alder, oak, birch, willow, holly and hazel.

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They added: "Coillte has made the decision to withdraw the application to consider our options regarding this project."

Coillte is the custodian of 440,000 hectares of forest and land, making it Ireland’s largest forest manager and largest provider of outdoor recreation. It is the largest supplier of certified roundwood in Ireland enabling a vibrant Irish forestry sector which employs over 9,000 people, located mostly in rural Ireland, and which contributes €2.3 billion annually to the Irish economy.

Limerick Live understands that the objections related to the area being part of the feeding grounds of the hen harrier, and that the forestry would negatively impact on water quality in the nearby River Feale.

It also said that there is a children’s burial ground on the land.

A spokesperson for Coillte said that they are fully committed to the sustainable management of its entire forest estate and manages its forests to deliver multiple benefits, for wood, nature, people and climate.