>Tree coverage in Ireland was at its lowest point a century ago. The
>EU has nothing to do with it. In fact, Irish tree coverage has been
>slowly growing since the 70s. The trees disappeared for farming, fuel
>and for building (including ships), centuries ago.
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>I'm confused as to why you would take the fictional series "Last of the
>Summer Wine" as a guide. However the fields in the area it was filmed in
>are grazed by sheep.
>In the British uplands grazing by sheep and deer prevents regeneration
>of forest. Where grazers have been excluded (e.g. Coire Ardair,
>Abernethy Forest) regeneration is occurring.
>In the lowlands the great majority of fertile land is used for
>agriculture.
>(Forest growth may well be slower in Britain; it's a lot further north
>than the mid-Atlantic states - remember it's at the latitude of
>Labrador.)
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OK. I understand. Thanks to all for your responses.
