Proceedings of a seminar held on 22 and 23 February 1994 Ireland has less forest than any other country in the European Union. The 1994 seminar of the Irish National Committee for Biology set out to put this fact in its historical context and then to examine current forest policy in the island, north and south. The final session of the seminar examined new uses of woody plants and the contribution of biotechnology to the production of elite trees for future forestry.