Dr. Eugene Hendrick:

Regarding Deputy Fitzmaurice's point, investment institutions whose company names use the applicant's account for just 126 ha of the 6,500 ha planted in 2016, and so far in 2017 the figure is 53 ha. Investment companies tend to buy existing forest rather than planting bare land. The returns in forestry become challenging when the land is not already owned for the investment company. That is the reality out there at present. Afforestation is mostly being done by farmers in the first instance.