Debate emerges over Sitka spruce role in Slievenamon wildfire intensity

Environmental critics are questioning whether the prevalence of non-native Sitka spruce in Coillte-managed forests contributed to the severity of recent wildfires on Slievenamon. While the link between specific tree species and fire spread is a subject of ongoing ecological debate, the impact of forest composition on fire behavior remains a point of contention in Irish land management policy.