This is the first of a series of photos taken at a Coillte harvesting site near Mallow, Co Cork. It shows severe soil disturbance and erosion resulting from site operations. This type of extreme soil damage is typical of that found under Irelands high impact forestry operations and climatic conditions where high rainfall events are the norm, particularly in the west. The result is soil degredation and erosion with the inevitable sedimentation and nutrient enrichment of water bodies.