Forestry Now

Today I spoke with Paul Lafferty. Paul qualified as a forester in 1989 but now runs his own Auctioneering firm selling residential and commercial property from his office in Castlerea Roscommon.
In addition he runs forestsales.ie which specialises in the sale of forests, reforestation land and standing timber. In this interview we speak about his 11 years with Greenbelt when afforestation rules were very different, we discussed how he manages his own forests and then Paul gave me a feel for the typical prices that are being paid for forests in Ireland right now and how an existing owner might prepare their forest for sale. 

Finally Paul also set a very high bar for future guests by offering to be one of the sponsors for the show which I'm delighted with, so thanks to Paul for that.


Forest Sales website: https://www.forestsales.ie/

Pauls Lafferty Ltd Auctioneers https://www.myhome.ie/estate-agents/james-cleary-sons-5973/residential

Paul Lafferty at Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lafferty-797a4020/

Greenbelt Forestry: https://www.greenbelt.ie/
UCD Undergraduate Degree in Forestry  https://www.ucd.ie/agfood/study/undergraduateprogrammes/

[0:00:02] – Introduction & Guest Background.
Dermot McNally introduces the Forestry Now podcast and guest Paul Lafferty, who shares his background as a forester and current auctioneer, including his early career, education, and experience with Greenbelt.

[0:01:15] – Education and Early Work Experience.
Discussion of the UCD forestry degree’s practical elements, including a full-year placement with Coillte, and Paul’s reflections on the differences between past and present training.

[0:02:19] – Role at Greenbelt: Afforestation & Land Procurement.
Paul describes his work as a forest area manager from 1989–2000, focusing on afforestation, land acquisition, grant applications, species selection, and the challenges of trespass and frost damage.

[0:05:00] – Financial Aspects of Afforestation.
Exploration of costs and profitability linked to deep peat bog plantings, contractor negotiations, and premium structures for landowners, including changes in land and forestry values over time.

[0:09:10] – Managing Personal Forests: Practices & Challenges.
Paul discusses his personal forest investments, the processes of thinning and clear felling, dealing with issues such as fire, windblow, and reconstitution grants, and evolving management strategies.

[0:15:12] – Trends in Forest Sales & Institutional Investment.
Insight into the types of forests and land markets, what institutional and recreational buyers are seeking, the importance of access and roads, and evolving investor requirements—including environmental concerns.

[0:23:17] – Valuing & Marketing Forests.
Details on the valuation process, required information, use of technology (maps, drone imagery), competitive bidding, and the challenges/opportunities of finding true market value for plantations.

[0:28:26] – Current Forest Prices by Type and Region.
Breakdown of recent prices for productive conifer plantations, broadleaf forests, and the variables affecting those prices, including area, location, species, and market demand.

[0:33:37] – Reforestation Land & Farmland Market Dynamics.
Discussion of the state of the market for reforestation ground, the influence of farmland prices and returns from farming, and regulatory/environmental obstacles impacting approvals and values.

[0:41:53] – Future Trends: Biodiversity, Carbon, & Investment Opportunities.
Paul highlights emerging trends in biodiversity, environmental schemes, and carbon credits. The episode concludes by encouraging forest owners to monitor new opportunities in sustainability and forest management.