Coillte forests in Galway saw a massive reduction in visitors in the week after the introduction of new restrictions on movement due to the coronavirus.
Just 280 people visited Coillte’s recreational forests in Galway between 28 March and 3 April compared to over 2,400 recorded the previous week, an overall decrease of 88%.
Portumna Forest Park also saw a huge reduction in the number of visitors, of 99%.
Coillte thanked the public for observing COVID-19 guidelines.
Imelda Hurley, Chief Executive of Coillte said: “We wish to thank the public for adhering to the restrictions currently in place at Coillte’s recreational forests across the country.
“We understand this is a challenging time, but by observing the Covid-19 related Government and HSE advice, you are helping to save countless lives.
“The significant reduction in footfall recorded across our recreational forests is a clear signal that the public are taking their responsibility seriously and protecting our most vulnerable communities.
“We all have our own part to play and we want to take this opportunity to thank the public for their cooperation so far, and ask that they continue to observe the Government and HSE guidance on Covid-19 including during the upcoming Easter break.’’
Coillte is continuing to see a trend of reduced footfall with the significant drop in footfall clearly demonstrating that members of the public listened to the advice of the Government and abided by the enhanced measures.
THe forestry business had introduced access restrictions to minimize the spread of Covid-19 in Coillte managed recreational forests across the country which are currently only open to local pedestrians, while all on-site carparking remains closed.
