Editing Geography of Ireland (section)

===Forests===
Ireland, like the neighbouring Great Britain, was once covered in forest. Clearing of forests began in the [[Neolithic Age]] and accelerated following the [[Tudor conquest of Ireland|Tudor Conquest]], resulting in forest cover of only 1% by the start of the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Arthur |title=Ireland's forests: Watching a vanished world return |work=Environment |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |date=27 July 2018 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/irelands-forests-watching-a-vanished-world-return/a-44848417 |access-date=25 November 2019 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109020520/https://www.dw.com/en/irelands-forests-watching-a-vanished-world-return/a-44848417 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2017, total tree cover in the Republic of Ireland stood at 11% of land area<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/nfi/nfisecondcycle2012/|title=National Forestry Inventory, Second Cycle 2012|work=DAFM|access-date=9 November 2019|archive-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018215036/https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/nfi/nfisecondcycle2012/|url-status=live}}</ref> but the figure for native forest stood at just 2% in 2018, the third lowest in Europe, behind Iceland and Malta.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://iwt.ie/what-we-do/campaigns/living-landscapes/forestry-and-woodland-in-ireland/ |title=Forestry and Woodland in Ireland |website=Irish Wildlife Trust |date=February 2018 |access-date=15 October 2019 |archive-date=25 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825183132/https://iwt.ie/what-we-do/campaigns/living-landscapes/forestry-and-woodland-in-ireland/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Of the 172 countries assessed, Ireland has the sixth most degraded forest landscape in the world.<ref>Grantham H.S. et al. (2020) "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5978. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11.5978G. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7723057. PMID 33293507.</ref>