Margaret Gowen & Company was commissioned by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands to review the impact of grant-assisted forestry on archaeological remains. This large project necessitated a comprehensive field survey of a sample of thirty representative sites across the country, as well as an extensive review of forestry statistics, historical and archaeological references and cartographic sources.

Global positioning system (GPS) technology was used throughout the filed survey to accurately locate monuments, and the survey information was combined with archaeological and forestry data to produce an integrated, geographic information systems (GIS) database.

Two reports are currently being prepared for the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. The first reviews the impact of grant-assisted forestry >on known archaeological remains; the second explores the potential impact of grant-assisted forestry on unknown archaeological remains. The first report outlines the history of forestry in Ireland, particularly grant-assisted afforestation, and reviews the current referral system based on the survey of thirty representative sites across the country. The field assessment includes on-site procedures, communication between foresters and archaeologists, buffer zones and the involvement of archaeologists prior to grant approval. The second report discusses the Irish landscape and the impact of forestry on that landscape, outlines forestry trends over the past twenty years, examines the legislation and regulations designed to protect cultural heritage, describes current forestry practice and explores the archaeological potential of the Irish countryside in the context of land-use change.