It would be interesting to see how this contrasts to other European countries. At a glance up to 1600 or so the history seems the same as other densely populated countries: dense forests made way for more and more farmland. "By 1600, less than 20% of Ireland was covered by forests." For comparison, both Germany and France are about 30% forest today. But where Ireland lost almost all woodlands by 1900, apparently driven by wood demand, Germany and France maintained forests for game hunting and developed sustainable foresting around the 1800s.