The Government was accused yesterday of breaching international agreements and destroying authentic landscapes through its current forestry policy.
The environmental organisation VOICE strongly criticised the heavy reliance on one non-native species, the North American coniferous sitka spruce, to meet the State's afforestation target.
Only 8 per cent of Ireland is currently under forestry, but the Government plans to increase this to 17 per cent by 2035.
Launching a postcard campaign calling for a radical change in approach, VOICE said 60 per cent of the trees to be planted would be sitka spruce, which breached the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, of which Ireland was a signatory.
The VOICE postcard, addressed to the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, says "near monoculture plantations of sitka spruce and other non-native species . . . are also destroying our authentic landscapes and polluting Irish streams."
Voice said the Government should set a target of 60 per cent of native broadleaf forest by 2035. The sitka spruce-shaped postcards are to be distributed widely for members of the public to sign and post to the Minister at his Department.