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Forestry and Forest Policy in Ireland

This document provides a comprehensive overview of forestry and forest policy in Ireland, detailing the current state of forest coverage at 10.6% of land area (744,000 ha) and its fragmentation across 19,000 private owners. It highlights the dominance of non-native conifers, the role of the Forest Service, and various government grants aimed at promoting afforestation and woodland improvement. Challenges such as the impact of Ash dieback disease and the balance between commercial forestry and environmental conservation are also discussed, along with the economic benefits that forestry brings to Ireland.

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Forestry and Forest Policy in Ireland

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  1. Forestry and Forest Policy in Ireland • Séamus Dunne • Forest Service • Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

  2. Features of Irish Forestry • 10.6% of land area under forest, 744,000 ha • Fragmented, 47% private, 19,000 owners • Dominated by productive non native conifers • Small area of native woodland • Grants to create new woodlands, roads • Roundwood forecast to increase from 3.8 to 7 million m3 by 2028 • Export focussed processing sector

  3. Role of Forest Service • Part of Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, • Regulates forestry in Ireland, principally via • S.I.558 / 2010 (afforestation & forest road construction) • 1946 Forestry Act (thinning & felling / replanting) • S.I.125 / 2012 (aerial fertilisation) • National Forest Inventory ....

  4. ...Role of Forest Service • Promotion of forestry via grants & supports to landowners • Afforestation grants and premiums • Neighbour Wood scheme • Forest road scheme • Woodland improvement scheme • Forest Protection • Forest Reproductive Material

  5. Historical Context • 1500 AD - Largely covered in Forests • Deforestation • Wood required for industry, ironworks • Clearance for farming • 1900 AD – Little over 1% forest • 1920’s Important decade • Start of Government afforestation • Government introduce Controls on Felling

  6. Planting of new Forests - 1920 to 2012 Hectares “Nearly all State planting” Year

  7. Coillte • State owned company created in 1989 to manage the State Forests • Now a modern vertically integrated company with three Divisions • Coillte Forest • Coillte Enterprise • Coillte Panel Products

  8. 1. Coillte Forest • 420,000 hectares, mostly forested • Annual cut 2.4 million cubic metres • Reforestation 6,000 hectares annually • Recreation and amenity • Biodiversity

  9. 2. Coillte Enterprise • Windfarms • Telecoms • Biomass

  10. 3. Coillte Panel Products • SmartPly • manufacture OSB products • Medite • manufacture MDF products

  11. Irelands Processing Sector • Sawmills • 5 large sawmills, Balcas (NI), Glennon Brothers, Murray Timber Group, ECC Timber Products, Grainger Sawmills. • 4 medium sawmills, Coolrain, Laois, Palfab, woodfab. • Panel Boards • 3 Panel Board producers • Masonite Producing door skins • SmartPly producing OSB • Medite producing MDF

  12. “Boom to Bust” House Completions per 1000 population

  13. Surviving the Construction Crash • Sawmills, Coillte and Government agencies combined efforts at International Trade shows • Research into new products and markets • Exports into UK grown from 4% to over 6% market share from 2007 to 2010. • Development of new sawn wood markets in France, Turkey and elsewhere • Demand now outstrips supply of raw material

  14. Benefits of Forestry • €2.2 Billion • 12,000 jobs • 18 m visits to forests • Carbon sequestration • Biodiversity

  15. Current Challenges • Environment versus Commercial Forestry • management in Sensitive areas • Hen Harrier SPAs • Freshwater Pearl Mussel areas

  16. Current Challenges • Ash Dieback disease (Chalarafraxinea) • Fraxinus - very significant tree in Irish context • Huge all-island effort currently underway

  17. Current Challenges • Private Sector • Afforestation • Certification • Forest Roads • Management and Thinning

  18. Thank You • Séamus Dunne • Head of Forestry Inspectorate • Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

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