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Paper short abstract

In an Irish context, this talk outlines the ways that the rural countryside are (re)made through forest policies, mapping land use change as a means of understanding the shifting form of rural populations, and the role of afforestation as an active agent in place-making and state territorialization.

Paper long abstract

This paper explores the political forest in Irish context, outlining some of the ways that rural countryside and communities are (re)made through forest policies over time. Drawing from fieldwork undertaken in 2025, this paper delves into a current moment of social and ecological uncertainty, mapping land use change as a means of engaging with and representing the shifting form of rural populations, and the role of afforestation as an active agent in place-making and state territorialization. What does it mean for a change-makers to suggest that a country build a forest-culture? What are the implications of creating legislatively permanent forests in areas known only as open farmland? In asking what changes when landscapes shift and mapping historical meanings and memories, this paper suggests that we look forward to future possibilities in ways that make the most ecological and social sense, and that anthropological tools can support this effort.