Teagasc to appoint forestry economist

TEAGASC, the agricultural development, advisory and research authority, is planning to appoint an economist to examine the returns from forestry.

Professor Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc, speaking at the conclusion of a countrywide series of meetings attended by hundreds of farmers and rural dwellers, said the person appointed will be in place in the New Year.

“There is a double dividend from forestry plantations,” he said. “There is the private gain for the individual who plants, but there is also a public dividend from the amenity value of forestry and from the carbon it sequesters from the atmosphere. This combination of public and private gain makes forestry unique.”

Dr Nuala Ní Fhlatharta, head of Forestry in Teagasc, said trees on land benefit farmers, their farms and their community.

“Trees and woodlands are too useful to be ignored. Woodlands are an excellent, tax-efficient on-farm investment.

“They provide an everlasting supply of timber, create a haven for many plants and animals while providing shelter for livestock and crops in adjoining fields. Wood can also be used efficiently to heat our homes,” she said.

Teagasc Forestry Development Unit, in association with the Forest Service, organised the information meetings. Different options, schemes and locations to plant trees were among the issues discussed. Brochures covering a host of forestry topics were available. Dr Ní Fhlatharta said now is the right time to plant. Teagasc’s forestry officers are available to explain when, how and where to plant and how to look after the trees.