Independent TD’s looking to have all trees within 30 meters of roads felled.

Our new junior minister for forests will sort it all out .....gawd help us!

Putting the environmental aspects aside for the moment. Trees at the side of the road can provide some benefit.

One of the two routes out from the area I live is up over a mountain road. 12% incline with a couple of hairpin bends for about 6km

Up to about three years ago the area was Forrest for the previous 25 to 30 years.

since the trees were logged the road becomes impassable after the slightest bit of snow or frost as there is nothing there to protect the road also there is no salting route for it so once it closes it will be like that for days. Large sections of the road have also washed away in heavy rains.

my own view the money spent on the national broadband plan should have gone into building a well run national pole and duct network managed by a dedicated company which telco and power companies would lease space on. This dedicated company would be tasked with managing clearances from the infrastructure on the pole.

All dead ash trees on the sides of public roads should be removed . Landowners should be compelled to have them removed . Legislation covering this is on the statute books for the last thirty years .

Get rid of the head ash trees and remove all 'dangerous' trees close to roads/powerlines

Also, remove alcohol, drugs, mobile phone distractions from within 30m of drivers if you want to save lives.

Also, speeding. Yeah, that.

Be very expensive to remove and replace every tree within 30 metres of a road. Might be cheaper just to bury the power lines.

this figure get used a lot but these figures don’t take into account “linear forestry” ie hedgerows which are an almost uniquely British and Irish phenomenon (with the exception of Normandy)

when these trees are taken into account it’s much closer to the average

also doesn't take into account that every inch of ireland that doesn't have concrete on it (and quite a bit that does) is covered in moss, lichen and other organic gunk. You really notice when you go to southern Europe in particular how barren and rocky a lot of it is, whereas here everywhere has something growing on it. I spent half an hour at the weekend removing moss from the sills of my car - I bet the average Spaniard doesn't have to do that!