​On 9 March 2018 the Members of NAT commission discussed and adopted the opinion on the EU Forest Strategy. Forests cover 43% of the land area of the EU's Member States. On 20 September 2013 the Commission adopted a new EU Forest Strategy which responds to the new challenges facing forests and the forest sector. Local and regional authorities are not only important stakeholders in forestry-related matters, but also genuine interested parties in the same way that forest owners are.

Leitrim County Councilor and EA Coordinator for NAT commission Enda Stenson called for local and regional authorities and those living in regions to be consulted in matters concerning the use and protection of forests. Stenson said that "there is a need for balanced and sustainable land management concerning forests." "The use of socially sustainable forests requires long-term spatial planning. In matters concerning the use and protection of forests, local and regional authorities and those living in regions must be consulted." - he added.