Visitor numbers at some of Ireland’s most popular forests tripled after the pandemic broke last year.

The State-owned forestry agency Coillte has today published its list of the top ten most popular forests on its books.

The agency said visits to the forests it owns around the country jumped by nearly 40% over lockdown – with over 2.2 million people visiting between March and December.

The agency also compared visitor numbers in February, the month before lockdown was first introduced, with those in December, and found that forest parks in Dublin and Monaghan doubled.

Meanwhile, visitors to Donadea in County Kildare and Curragh Chase in Limerick tripled over the same period.

Visitor numbers at Coillte-managed forests in Ireland. Image: Coillte

Walking trails in the Dublin Mountains – including Ticknock, Hellfire, Kilmashogue and Massey’s Wood – welcomed over 60,000 people in December, more than double February’s numbers.

Meanwhile, Rossmore Forest in County Monaghan welcomed nearly 25,000 visitors in December, while Donadea in Kildare welcomed 14,335 and Tintern in Wexford 11,261.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Coillte spokesperson Pat Neville said a visit to an Irish forest is great for your health and wellbeing.

“Many people don’t know that the forests are there, they are open, we have an open-forest policy to visit them and they are really good places to reconnect with nature and recharge,” he said.

“There is good evidence to show that a walk in the woods will not only help your physical health but also your mental health as well.”

July 10, 2007 - Lough Tay, Wicklow Mountains, County Wicklow, Ireland (Credit Image: © The Irish Image Collection/Design Pics via ZUMA Wire)

Coillte manages around 6,000 forests around the country, although only 260 are classed as “recreational.”

Almost 80% of the agency’s forests are “working forests” filled with non-native Sitka Spruce trees.

A public consultation on the future of the Wicklow Mountains National Park and Glendalough will get underway later this month.

Campaigners have launched on online petition urging the Government to focus on rewilding the area with native woodland and move away from Sitka plantations which choke native wildlife.

The public consultation will run from February 22nd to March 12th on Wicklow.ie.