One hundred people joined a protest at Coillte Headquarters in Newtownmountkennedy on Friday afternoon.
The protest was organised by the newly formed Save our Forests- Save Our Land which brings together over 30 different groups.
The alliance is demanding serious reform in Coillte, the national body responsible for forests. At the moment, Coillte has a ‘for profit’ mandate which means that it must operate like any capitalist company and make profits.
This means that it will always try to link up with investor groups and vulture funds to sell off land or enter ‘partnerships’ with them.
It will continue its policy of only planting Sitka spruce trees because they are fast-growing and easy to make profits.
Speakers at the demonstration included Richard Boyd Barret, a People Before Profit TD who has a long record of opposing privatisation.
Also speaking were Gerry Loftus, a small farmer from the Save Leitrim Group, Andrew St Leger from the Woodland League. Niamh Sheehan, a scientist, and a speaker from Croi na Cre.
The Alliance will be stepping up its efforts and will be organising a walk in the woods shortly.
