This project is supported by the Irish subsidiary of L'OCCITANE en Provence.
Context
Ireland, although famous for its green landscapes, is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, with only 11% forest cover, compared with a European average of 35%.
Historically, 80% of the island was covered by forest, but this was cleared for agriculture over the centuries, leaving only 1% forested in 1925. Since then, efforts have been made to reforest, mainly with commercial plantations of conifers such as Sitka spruce, which cover 9% of the country. However, only 2% of the territory is covered by native deciduous forests.
Biodiversity and conservation are now at the heart of forestry policies, complementing timber exploitation, with significant ecological, economic and tourism benefits for the country.
Supported Project
In 2024-2025, for the second year running, L'OCCITANE's Irish subsidiary is committed to supporting Hometree in its project to restore the wild Atlantic rainforest in Ireland.
This project aims to restore temperate rainforests through three main strategies: facilitating natural regeneration by removing grazing pressure, fencing off remaining pockets of forest to allow expansion and planting trees where there is a strong ecological justification for doing so. These actions are being implemented on two thousand acres of our own land and a further two thousand acres in collaboration with neighbouring landowners.
It includes habitat restoration in the Irish Highlands, an area of the country currently heavily degraded by historical farming practices. They are working to meet European conservation targets in this area. Where appropriate, we will encourage scaling up.
In terms of implementation milestones, the first sites are undergoing rigorous baseline monitoring. The results of this monitoring are used to develop site-specific management plans. These plans are then implemented over the three to five years of the project implementation phase. They may include a combination of restoration practices, including tree planting, natural regeneration and peatland restoration.
Some Figures
Budget 15,000 euros
Goal 1.2 hectares regenerated
Goal 300 planted trees
