IFA: Forestry has potential to inject €50m into local communities
The farm group leader was speaking at yesterday’s IFA Farm Forestry Conference in Portlaoise, Co Laois. He said private sector timber production could increase to one million cubic metres per annum by 2018. Timber production from the private sector is currently at 200,000m³.
Forestry is now part of the general farm business for more than 16,000 farmers and the private forest sector accounts for nearly 50% of the national estate.
Mr Bryan said: “If this production potential was realised it would mean an annual injection into the local economy of in excess of €50m from timber sales. There is also the prospect of the value of down-stream processed forest products on the market.”
John Bryan said if these targets are to be achieved, Government policy must reflect the central role farmers will play in the mobilising this resource.
To reach these targets, the IFA said the Government needs to reduce the time required to get a felling licence (a wait of up to six months in some instances); to increase funding to support construction of essential forest road infrastructure; to support the adoption of more suitable harvesting equipment for small-scale forestry and to offer enhanced training for forest owners, particularly those in timber, marketing, small tree felling and business development.
Farmers own most of the private forests planted in the last 20 years, many of which are now at or approaching production stage.
