The board which is to oversee the delivery of Project Woodland has held its first meeting, Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett has announced.

The project has been put together to resolve current difficulties in the forestry sector and revitalise the creation of woodland in Ireland.

“The speed with which the project board and the chairs of the working groups have come together is a clear indication of the sense of urgency and commitment which my Department and stakeholders are bringing to Project Woodland,” Minister Hackett said.

“Project Woodland can only deliver if everyone pulls together and I am very much looking forward to the stakeholder working groups having their first meetings in the very near future.”

Members

The board will consist of Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture Brendan Gleeson (who will chair the board), former chief executive of Scottish Forestry Jo O’Hara and two other external members with experience in project governance, Jerry Grant and Sarah O’Shea.

The four working groups will be chaired by Michael Cantwell, Dr Matt Crowe, Professor Thia Hennessy and Michael Layde.

Minister Hackett said: “I am very pleased that these four highly respected and experienced people have accepted the roles and I look forward to working closely with them.

“Each working group will include a number of stakeholders and will be responsible for delivering key objectives as identified in Jo O’Hara’s report.”

Timeline

The working groups will meet shortly to agree deliverables and milestones. These will then be reported to the board for approval.

Minister Hackett concluded by welcoming the establishment of the new governance structure as a first critical step in delivering a forestry policy that meets the needs of citizens and industry.

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