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Forestry Now

Forestry Now

By: Dermot McNally
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 Every two weeks this podcast explores the forces impacting the profitable and sustainable management of commercial forests and natural woodlands. I speak with forest owners, forestry professionals and industry stakeholders on the biggest operational, environmental and economic challenges affecting the sector. I'll interview people involved in the harvesting and processing side of the forestry business as well as those who are trying to maximise carbon sequestration and general ecosystem services. Finally I'll investigate political and legislative changes that are coming down the track as well as highlight new technologies and big opportunities that are around the corner. Subscribe to Forestry Now with me Dermot McNally, to hear more.© 2026 Dermot McNally Economics
Episodes
  • How Forestry Lost the PR Battle with Peter Hasulyó

    How Forestry Lost the PR Battle with Peter Hasulyó
    Mar 30 2026
    In this episode, I speak with forestry engineer and analyst Peter Hasulyó about one of the sector’s biggest blind spots: communication. Despite decades of progress in sustainable forest management, the forestry industry has struggled to win public trust.Peter explains how a lack of proactive storytelling allowed others to shape the narrative—often inaccurately—leading to confusion between sustainable forestry and deforestation. The discussion explores why perception matters as much as practice, how NGOs filled the communication gap, and why forestry must rethink how it engages with the public.We also examine real-world consequences of this PR failure, including regulatory pressure, declining trust, and misunderstandings about timber production, clear-felling, and plantations.Key Topics Covered Why forestry lost the public perception battle. The communication gap and its consequences. Clear-felling vs deforestation: why the public confuses them. Forestry as an “open factory” The role of NGOs and how emotional storytelling beats data. Why timber production is misunderstood—but essential. Plantation forestry vs nature conservation. Historical mistakes and their lasting reputational impact. Regulation (EUDR) as a consequence of lost trust. How the industry can rebuild credibility.Quotes:"NGOs filled the storytelling gap about forestry.""We gave them FSC labels. They (NGO's) gave them baby orangutans. We lost.""An open factory approach can help educate the public..""If you don't cut wood locally and source it sustainably, it's going to be sourced from somewhere else in the world, which doesn't have as strict regulation..."The ForestryNow newsletter signupforestrynowpodcast@gmail.comLinks:Peter on Linkedinhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterhasulyo/The Forestry Briefhttps://forestrybrief.com/The PR Battle Forestry Never Foughthttps://www.fordaq.com/news/The_PR_battle_forestry_never_111884.htmlWWF Hungaryhttps://wwf.hu/Chapters[0:00:00] – Introduction to Forestry Now and Peter HoshuDermot McNally opens the Forestry Now podcast, introducing the show’s focus on profitable, sustainable forest management and his guest, Peter Hoshu, a licensed forest engineer and founder of Forestry Brief, a European forestry intelligence and newsletter service.[0:01:14] – What Is Forestry Brief and the European Forestry Pulse?Peter outlines Forestry Brief as an evolving intelligence service built around his twice‑weekly newsletter, the European Forestry Pulse, which tracks developments in European forestry alongside key trends in North America.[0:01:48] – The PR Battle Forestry Never FoughtDermot introduces Peter’s article, “The PR Battle Forestry Never Fought,” and asks why a renewable, carbon‑storing sector lost the perception battle in the 1990s, with Peter arguing that forestry failed to explain its work and impact to the public.[0:02:29] – Communication Vacuum and Storytelling PowerPeter explains how foresters assumed “sustainability would speak for itself,” leaving a communication vacuum that was filled by others; he stresses that in a media‑driven world it’s not enough to be sustainable, you must also be perceived as such through clear value‑driven communication.[0:04:16] – How NGOs Won Hearts with Emotion, Not DataPeter describes how nature NGOs, often founded or staffed by journalists, excel at emotional storytelling rather than technical explanations, using simple, visceral narratives that resonate far more than yield tables, certifications, or Excel‑driven arguments from the forestry side.[0:06:22] – Greenpeace, Baby Orangutans, and Media OpticsUsing Greenpeace as an example, Peter contrasts powerful visuals—such as activists confronting whalers or orphaned orangutans losing habitat—with forestry’s dry imagery of labels and tables, noting how these emotionally charged images shape public perception even when contexts differ between places like Borneo and Europe.[0:07:23] – Clearfelling vs. Deforestation: Same Image, Different RealityPeter explains how the public often conflates clear‑cut harvesting with deforestation because the initial image—a “scarred” landscape—is identical, and argues that foresters failed to communicate what happens next: replanting, regrowth, and the emergence of a new forest over subsequent decades.[0:09:24] – The Open Factory and the “Dead Forest” ConceptBuilding on Dermot’s point about shocking clear‑fell images, Peter introduces forests as an “open factory” that the public can walk into, and explains his “dead forest” idea: harvested timber as the indispensable, often invisible counterpart to the “living forest” that provides everyday products like furniture, houses, and packaging.[0:11:23] – Long Rotations, EV Analogies, and Global LeakagePeter highlights how long rotation cycles (30–100+ years) are hard for the public to grasp, and warns that if societies refuse local harvesting while still...
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    39 mins
  • Where Farming Meets Forestry - with Andy Dunne

    Where Farming Meets Forestry - with Andy Dunne
    Mar 16 2026

    Today I speak with Andy Dunne. Andy's an agricultural consultant based in Portlaoise, Ireland. He's also a forest owner and a member of the Laois Offaly Farm Forestry Group. Andy explains how he manages his own forest and his experience working with adjoining forest owners using a Continuous Cover Forestry approach.
    Then we talk about his role as an Agricultural Consultant and his experience advising farmers on their options under the current forestry programme. He highlights the way forestry has been marginalised outside of farming and how this affects the attitudes of land holders to it. Finally he explains with clear examples how current restrictions around afforestation rarely result in the best outcome for nature.

    Key Points:
    How Andy made the decision to plant land and why it worked for him.
    Collaborative forestry management including approaches to roads and felling licences.
    State support (or lack thereof) and lack of a holistic created siloed thinking between farming and forestry.
    Encouraging landowners to plant given regulations and land designations.
    Recognising the inevitable environmental trade offs inherent with the Irish forestry system.
    Impact of designations on current land value.
    Shifting attitudes towards forestry.


    Quotes:
    "When I planted it was simple - it's not simple anymore..."

    "If we integrate (forestry) at an institutional level, we start to get the farmer integrating his thinking around it as well."

    "If you impose any burden, and a designation (environmental) is a burden... it's restricting what you can and can't do with the land... it will affect the value."
    "The dairy farmer up the road will reclaim it for me, and he'll give me 350 euros an acre for it..."


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    forestrynowpodcast@gmail.com

    Links:

    Andy Dunne's Agri Consultants: https://www.facebook.com/eaecltd/

    Andy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-dunne-72b07718Andy's profile at the Agricultural Consultants' Association

    https://aca.ie/andy-dunne/

    Farm Forest Season 2 Episode 5 - Andy Dunne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ELMJDC3Mc4


    Chapters:
    [0:00:00] – Agricultural consultancy and Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on his home farm.

    [0:03:34] – Collaborative Management with Adjoining Owners.

    [0:05:37] – Shared Infrastructure and Rights of Way.

    [0:07:45] – Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) and Wind Stability.

    [0:11:35] – Storm Impacts and Species Suitability.

    [0:15:18] – Administrative Challenges for Small Owners.

    [0:20:37] – The Marginalization of Forestry in Farming.

    [0:22:38] – Integrating Forestry as a Farm Enterprise.

    [0:30:40] – Bureaucratic Hurdles and Environmental Screening.

    [0:37:12] – Valuing Ecosystem Services, Land Value and "Payment for Environmental Services" (PES).
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    43 mins
  • Community and Conservation: A New Approach to Forestry

    Community and Conservation: A New Approach to Forestry
    Mar 2 2026

    In this conversation, I speak with Ray Ó Foghlú - Ray is Development Lead at Hometree, a nature restoration charity with a strong focus on woodlands based in Co Clare, Ireland. We discuss the organization's role in landscape level projects such as the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project and the Iveragh Woodland EIP (European Innovation Partnership) in Kerry. Ray discusses bureaucratic challenges in Irish forestry and the need for supportive agricultural policies that empower farmers while also facilitating nature restoration. Ray sets out a clear vision of how we can create vibrant rural communities that value both food production and ecosystem services.

    Reference is made in the podcast to SAC's which are Special Areas of Conservation and also to SPA's or Special Protection Areas.

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    Other Links:
    Ray on Linkedin
    linkedin.com/in/ray-ó-foghlú-24923a70
    Ray writing on The Journal
    https://www.thejournal.ie/author/ray-Ó-foghlú/6649/
    Ray writing in the Farmers Journal
    https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/opinion/opinion-rural-ireland-s-future-depends-on-homes-for-young-people-893508
    Links to Hometree's website and social media.https://www.hometree.ie/
    https://www.instagram.com/hometreecharity/
    https://www.facebook.com/hometreecharity/


    Sponsor Link
    www.forestsales.ie

    Contact Dermot
    forestrynowpodcast@gmail.com

    Key Points

    • Hometree focuses on native woodlands and community engagement. The organization aims to restore 57,500 acres in the next 10 years in the next 10 years through projects such as the Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project.
    • Ray explains why farmers are often cautious about permanent land use changes and why they often feel let down. Financial incentives are essential for farmer engagement and he suggests how we can make these better for both farmers and nature.
    • He explains in depth how the Iveragh Woodland EIP aims to create woodlands in Kerry.
    • Ray outlines why policy changes are needed to support nature restoration efforts such as those that dictate elevation restrictions and levels of bare rock on afforestation sites.
    • Ray explains how the future of farming must include ecosystem services and technology.
    • Ray gives his opinion on clearfell as a management technique and addresses criticisms of Sitka Spruce .


    Quotes:
    "We're not here just to look good, we want to have real tangible impact."
    "We need to capture that sentiment." (In relation to initial farmer enthusiasm for afforestation)
    "You need to take a cap off what they (farmers) can earn for the environment!"
    "Clearfell can be done sensitively."
    "The future is rural!"

    [0:00:00] – Introduction to Hometree and Nature Restoration
    [0:03:19] – Ambitious Restoration Targets and Strategic Pillars
    [0:05:45] – The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project and Farmer Engagement
    [0:09:12] – Perceptions of Forestry and Bureaucratic Hurdles
    [0:13:58] – Silvicultural Mindsets vs. Nature-Based Solutions
    [0:16:15] – Strategies for Woodland Conservation and Fencing
    [0:20:07] – The Iveragh Woodlands EIP: Upland Challenges
    [0:24:28] – Innovative Payments and Results-Based Scoring
    [0:26:59] – Landscape-Level Deer Management and Technology
    [0:28:57] – De-risking Policy: EIPs vs. National Schemes
    [0:36:32] – Valuing Ecosystem Services and Rural Succession
    [0:42:07] – Forestry Diversity and Rethinking Monocultures
    [0:44:19] – Clearfell Mitigation and Peatland Restoration
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    48 mins
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