Acid rain threat to Irish forests
The Minister said there was no evidence of acid-rain damage to Irish forests and that rainfall monitoring would continue. He acknowledged wider pollution concerns, including sulphur dioxide and the EC directive, while noting that atmospheric pollution primarily fell under another Minister’s remit.
asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if he will make a statement on the ever-growing threat to our forests by acid rain; and if he will initiate a further study because of growing evidence of damage to our forests.
12.
Comment on this
asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry whether there is any evidence of the amount of damage being done to Irish forests by acid rain; and if there are any proposals to deal with this.
Comment on this
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together.
There is no evidence to suggest that Irish forests have been damaged as a result of acid rain. I am satisfied that measures already initiated for monitoring of rainfall will enable the situation to be kept under constant review.
Comment on this
Is the Minister aware of the ever-increasing level of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere and the concern that has been expressed recently by a number of botanists about damage to our forests? Will he inform the House of his attitude to the most recent EC directive on air pollution from industrial sources? Further, will he state if inter-departmental discussions have taken place on this matter?
Comment on this
I am aware of the damage caused by atmospheric pollution to major tracts of forests elsewhere, particularly in Germany. However, I would point out that experts even in that country disagree on some of the factors that they attribute to this problem. Some experts say it is due to bad husbandry but I am not prepared to disregard the dangers as lightly as that. The monitoring of facets of acid rain in Ireland has been undertaken by An Foras Forbartha. Atmospheric pollution is a matter primarily for the Minister for the Environment but, as the House will know, I have a deep interest in this for obvious reasons because of the dangers to our fisheries and our forests. Five sites are being monitored on a daily basis in respect of wet and dry conditions. The sites are at Glencree, County Wicklow, Dublin Airport, Kinsealy, Trinity College and monitoring on a site at Howth will commence shortly. The research branch of my Department — the FWS — are co-operating with the Macauley Institute in Aberdeen and a project is underway to compare the situation in that part of Scotland with the west of Ireland. The FWS are also co-operating with the ESB in setting up a monitoring post in the Slieve Bloom mountain areas. The contacts are ongoing and the situation is being watched with some concern because of the danger involved.