Dr. Ken Byrne:

We achieved very high afforestation rates in the 1990s, with more than 15,000 ha each year, but that was for only a few years and it has been in steady decline since then. We are now at a very low figure. Past performance being an indicator of the future, one could not be optimistic in that regard. There are also technical issues. For example, it takes the forest nursery sector two or three years to ramp up production of transplants in anticipation of such an area being available. Even if all other barriers were removed, that would still be an obstacle. The Government has just announced a new scheme and there is lots of optimism and goodwill but-----