Forests now cover 10.6% of the land area of Ireland and support a sustainable, export-oriented forest products sector. It is valued at €2.2bn per annum and supports 11,939 jobs, mostly in rural areas. There is strong and increasing demand for roundwood from Irish forests, which is driven by the success in our export markets. In 2013, 78% of Irish forest products were exported. Our share of the British softwood timber market has grown from 3.4% in 2007 to 6.5% in 2012.

Innovation is at the core of Irish forestry from nursery to sawmill. Irish-owned companies make up the majority of the timber supply chain and are constantly investing in new and innovative solutions to make the supply chain more efficient and produce world-class products.

From the nursery sector, improved Sitka spruce is now the norm in forest establishment, providing better establishment rates and improved productivity. Management companies are investing in state-of-the-art technologies to manage their clients’ resources more effectively.

In the harvesting and haulage sector, new machines with new technologies are coming onstream. They are designed to optimise timber recovery, protect local road infrastructure and efficiently manage timber movements to save costs and energy.

The processing sector is investing in new technologies and products to stay ahead in newly won markets and gain access to new ones. Such products include the Murray Timber Group’s eased edge structural timber, while Glennon Brothers produces quality sawn timber. Other developments include Laois Sawmills’ pellet plant, Woodfab’s new mill and combined heat and power plant, as well as the exciting merger of Palfab and Graingers to form GP Wood. Panelwood products include Masonite’s new door-facing products, Coillte’s Medite Tricoya and SmartPLy Toughply.

Innovation is also taking place in how the sector interacts with itself and its stakeholders. The Irish Forestry and Forest Products Association (IFFPA) is at the core of this, bringing the entire supply chain together to work on issues of mutual concern and focusing on providing solutions.

Initiatives include the code of practice for forest fires, which has contributed towards a reduction in forest fires from the high of 1,500ha in 2011 to 350ha in 2013. As part of this, a system has been developed that alerts forest owners to the threat of fires during high-risk periods.

Winter storm

As a result of the winter storm 2013/14, the IFFPA worked as part of a sector-wide force examining practical solutions and providing advice to the industry and forest owners. This well-focused group, which is still at work, has been able to provide guidance to forest owners and policy-makers in a short timeframe.

Challenges remain to achieving a cohesive and innovative forestry sector. Some associated legislation is incompatible with timber mobilisation and IFFPA is working on several key areas to remove these barriers. A key one is the planning legislation around forest road entrances. IFFPA members are also working hard to find solutions to land availability for afforestation to allow more land to be planted.

The revised forest policy document Forest, Products and People has ambitious targets throughout the industry, targeting an ultimate annual harvest of up to eight million cubic metres. Specific targets have been set to achieve this, such as an annual roading programme rising to 180,000m and an afforestation target of up to 15,000ha per year. If these were met, they would contribute significantly to rural employment, creating up to 7,000 new jobs by 2025.

Yet no sooner had the policy been published than the draft schemes contradicted its goals. Budgetary constraints have been identified as the main reason for this. However, it would make sense to invest more in forestry when, due to a lack of supply of roundwood in Ireland, the processing sector is importing 300,000m3 per annum. This is not sustainable in the medium term.

Carbon will be a key driver of forestry over the next few decades and is central to Ireland achieving a sustainable agriculture sector. With increasing production from agriculture, we need to capture more carbon. One of the most compatible ways of doing this is to plant more trees and effectively manage the timber resource we already have. The failure to do this now will only result in more carbon penalties, which may undermine achievement of the goals set out in Harvest 2020.

To achieve these goals requires significantly more investment by the State than is envisaged in the draft schemes. This investment is not only money but is about clearing obstacles to achieve the targets. The sector has proven itself to be able to respond, become more efficient, add value and deliver a return for forest owners and the State.

*Daragh Little is managing director of Forest Enterprises Ltd and IFFPA chair.