Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For this committee and for decision makers more generally, it is going be about balance. I agree absolutely that there are some areas where there has been a proliferation. That needs to be accounted for in terms of how we plan for the future. We need to undo damage that has been done by very poor forestry and planning policy in the communities that the witnesses have spoken about predominantly. We also need to recognise that as well as forestry playing a role, wood is going to be required for lots of other things that we want to do, particularly in sustainable building development and all the rest going forward. The big quandary that I have is how we get that balance right and how we put in place the planning and legislative protections to ensure that communities' voices are heard and that communities are not overrun, while at the same time ensuring that the country is not without afforestation or a timber sector. I know it is not the witnesses' job - they are here to represent their communities and they have already mentioned a few matters that the committee can explore a bit further - but do they have any sense of how we can get the balance right in order that we can try to be all things to everyone in terms of the wider targets of any good strategy?