The Irish Times article referred to above states that folk were unaware of the damage likely to be caused by blanket conifer tree planting in the 1950s. Surely some mistake there as I can still remember a science lesson from 1950 pointing out all the problems associated with this type of forestry, most of which have proved correct.
Take the Galloway hills-prior to being covered by sitka spruce and other none native species the lochs and lochans were famed for their fishing--as the poet puts it "where for everyin we hooked Jhone, we could"ve tane a score or mair" Now I understand from fishers these same lochs and lochans are bereft of fish due to the feeder streams running of the forests either poisoning the fish or not containing the feeding required to sustain them.