Irish minister urges landowners to consider forestry as a land use option

Niall Collins, Ireland's Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with responsibility for forestry, opened and addressed the National Forestry Conference on Friday, 6 November. He called on landowners to consider forestry as a sustainable land use option and to take advantage of the financial supports available through his department's forestry programme.

The conference was held at Coillte Forest Park in Avondale, Co. Wicklow. It was hosted jointly by the Society of Irish Foresters and DAFM, and coincides with Ireland's presidency of the EU Council. The event focused on the role of forests and forest products in adapting to and mitigating climate change.

What the minister said

Collins said Ireland's Forest Strategy prioritises a range of actions aimed at delivering climate, nature and wood benefits from forests. In his words, forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and also store carbon in timber products. He described forests as central to many global policy challenges, including climate and biodiversity.

Before the conference began, the minister planted a sessile oak, Ireland's national tree, as a symbol of the importance of planting trees. He said Ireland has ambitious plans to expand its timber resource and restore native forests, and that the government is committed to supporting the sustainable development of the forestry sector.

About the organisers

The Society of Irish Foresters has organised a National Forestry Conference over many years and has more than 700 members. Most are professional foresters working across the whole of Ireland's forest industry. This year's conference brought together a wide range of speakers to discuss the impacts of climate change, the Irish Forest Strategy and the importance of wood for a low-carbon future.