As is widely acknowledged, the benefits of forests are many and varied, encompassing economic, social and environmental.

In the Irish context, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine seeks to assist in the development of an internationally competitive and sustainable forest sector that provides a full range of economic, environmental and social benefits to society, by means of the new Forestry Programme and the Forestry Act 2014, combined with Food Wise 2025, the outcome of the recent forest policy review Forest Products and People, Ireland’s Forest Policy – a renewed vision, and the Report of the COFORD Land Availability Working Group on Land Availability for Afforestation – Exploring opportunities for expanding Ireland’s forest resource.

The aim of the new Forestry Programme 2014-2020 is to increase roundwood production while at the same time improving the quality of our natural environment. The programme is fully funded by the Exchequer and will involve total expenditure of €482m over its time frame. This is a long-term investment, the outcome of which will be a natural asset with returns at individual, social and national level.

The Government sees huge potential for growth in the forest sector. Already the industry contributes €2.3bn per annum and employs approximately 12,000 people both directly and indirectly. Overseas markets for Irish sawn wood and panel board products have expanded over the past number of years despite the recession.

A rapid increase in roundwood harvest is foreseen under COFORD forecasts, which will lead to its doubling by the end of the coming decade. Measures to meet national renewable energy targets are likely to increase demand for wood as fuel for domestic and industrial use.

While the benefits of forestry are often alluded to, it is useful to focus on the contribution the development of forestry makes to the economy through employment and exports, and to climate change through carbon sequestration and the development of renewable energy resources.

Forestry plays an increasingly important role in the economy, at both rural and national level. The development of forestry is a viable land use option which contributes to diversification of farm income; it also provides employment which is predominantly rural-based, thereby sustaining rural communities and contributing to balanced regional development.

Notwithstanding technological advances, there is still significant labour associated with forestry, including planting, tending, thinning, harvesting and haulage. The forest products sector then provides employment at the next stage in the process. This sector has developed into a vibrant, innovative and export-oriented business, which is illustrated by the fact that the total value of the forest products (which includes wood-based panels, pulp and paper products and sawn timber) exported from Ireland in 2014 was €370m, representing 80% of the output of Ireland’s timber processing sector exported in that year. See Figure 1 for the range and relative quantities of forest products, as produced from softwood fibre in 2014.

An essential component of a healthy and sustainable forest industry sector is a guaranteed steady supply of quality timber. The Forestry Programme contributes towards this by facilitating the establishment of new forests and assisting in the mobilisation of timber from private forests through the provision of funding for the construction of forest roads, thereby increasing the amount of timber available for processing now and into the future.

Important role

Ireland’s forests also play an important role in helping with climate change mitigation, through carbon sequestration in forests and the provision of renewable fuels and raw materials. Forests remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Recent projections show that, over the period 2021–2030, new forests established since 1990 will remove 4.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per annum.

Climate change mitigation also occurs when forest-based biomass replaces fossil fuels for heating or power generation. This also helps to reduce the dependence on imported fuels. Support for thinning and forest road building will also help mobilise forest-based biomass for heat and power. When used in construction, wood replaces more energy-intensive materials and stores carbon for extended periods of time until it is eventually released back into the atmosphere.

At the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) held in Paris in December 2015, the EU committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and negotiations between member states on burden sharing will commence shortly. All sectors will have to produce less greenhouse gases. Ireland’s afforestation programme has an important role to play in contributing to that effort, as it is the most significant mitigation option that is available in Ireland’s land use sector.

Working group

A working group contributing to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that the most cost-effective mitigation options in forestry are afforestation, sustainable forest management and reducing deforestation, with large differences in their relative importance across regions.

Ireland has made great strides over the last number of decades developing forestry to its current position. The Forestry Programme and the Forestry Act 2014 aim to assist in the ongoing development of Irish forestry, with the reports noted above also contributing in focussing associated actions and activities.

Paul Dillon is assistant secretary general, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.