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A senator has said that it is crucial to revise strategies to mitigate the potential impact of the bark beetle across the entire forestry value chain and estate. Senator Victor Boyhan was addressing officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine (DAFM) at the Oireachtas Agricultural Committee. Boyhan said: “We know that over 48% is sitka spruce and spruce of varying degrees in forestry. We have over-invested in and focused too much on one type of species. We do not have diversity in species planting in forestry. “We prioritise everything by productivity rather than by a more diverse, environmentally sustainable forestry programme. That is going to take time to change and is a long way off”, said Boyhan. …Senator Boyhan acknowledged the government’s commitment to its new €1.3 billion forestry programme, which includes enhanced grant aid and premium payments to encourage planting, to achieve an annual target 8,000ha.