THE area of new forest created in Clare more than doubled in 2025, according to new forestry statistics published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
A total of 228 hectares of new forest were planted in Clare in 2025, up from 108 hectares in 2024.
That represents an increase of 120 hectares, or around 111%.
Nationally, 2,527 hectares of new forest were created in 2025, up from 1,573 hectares in 2024.
Clare had the third-highest level of new afforestation among Ireland’s counties in 2025, behind Roscommon, where 335 hectares were planted, and Cork, which recorded 276 hectares.
The figures are contained in the Department’s Forest Statistics Ireland 2026 report, which provides county-level data on afforestation and forest ownership.
Clare recorded its highest level of annual afforestation in 2006, when 698 hectares of new forest were created, followed by 695 hectares in 2008 and 669 hectares in 2007.
The report shows that farmers accounted for 54% of the land afforested in Clare in 2025, with non-farmers accounting for the remaining 46%.
Across Ireland, the percentage of broadleaves in new forests created during 2025 increased to 66%, up 12 percentage points on 2024.
Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture Niall Collins said the increase in afforestation was encouraging.
“Compared to 2024 the annual afforestation rate increased by nearly 1,000 hectares in 2025,” he said.
He said increased financial supports under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and improvements in the efficiency of licensing processes had contributed to the increase.
The report also shows that roundwood removals increased nationally by 18% in 2025, from 4.4 million cubic metres to 5.2 million cubic metres, following severe storm damage to Irish forests.
Field data collection for the fifth National Forest Inventory also began in 2026, providing an update to information last reported in 2022.
