The economic contribution of the Irish forestry and timber sector has been estimated to stand at some €2bn annually in a research report compiled by the Council for Forest Research and Development (COFORD).

The report set out that 3,500 people are employed directly in the forestry and harvesting sector, while another 5,900 find work in timber manufacturing and the wood products sector.

It recommended that certification rates are improved in the private sector to safeguard timber’s route to market. Fewer than 6% of privately-owned forests are certified, the report found.

Importance for employment

These results show the importance of forestry to rural employment, according to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett.

“This study clearly demonstrates the important contribution that our forests make in providing employment throughout rural Ireland,” the minister commented.

“Producing the wood that we use in constructing and heating our homes requires many inputs along the forest chain over an extended period of time.

“This includes people employed in our nurseries growing the seedlings, those establishing and regenerating forests and the many involved in harvesting those trees.

“What this study makes clear is that wood generates considerable employment in creating and renewing the forests of today and tomorrow,” she said.

Certifying forestry

Minister Hackett also commented that more work needs to be done by all stakeholders for the report’s recommendation that more private forestry be certified to be realised.

“While State forests have been certified since 2001, the extent of certification in the private sector remains too low and can be a barrier to market access for those owners,” she said.

“My department has provided funding for a number of pilot certification studies in the past and these have provided valuable insights on the practicality of certification, as well as providing templates to assist private owners considering having their forest holdings certified.”

The full report can be found here.