Coillte unveils plan for 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050
Coillte said that through its plan, the creation of 1,200 direct and indirect jobs would be supported in rural communities.
Coillte on Thursday unveiled a plan to grow 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050.
The move aims to support the delivery of one-third of Ireland's afforestation target and create a carbon sink of 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).
The semi-state company is responsible for the management of 440,000 hectares of Ireland's forests, which represents 7% of the country.
As part of its forestry strategic vision, Coillte said it would also manage its existing forest estate to capture an additional 10m tonnes of CO2.
It also plans to produce 25m cubic metres of timber to help Ireland achieve its housing ambition of 300,000 new homes by 2030, and promote the increased use of wood products to raise the level of timber homes from 20% to 80% by 2050.
Along with this, Coillte said it would focus on producing sustainable wood products that in 2050 displaces 2.7m tonnes of CO2 per year from fossil-based products like concrete, steel and plastic.
It said it would also redesign 30,000 hectares of peatland forests by 2050 through a programme of rewetting or rewilding for climate and ecological benefits.
Over the coming weeks, Coillte is to engage with key stakeholders and the public to seek their view on its forestry strategic vision.
Coillte chairwoman Bernie Gray said the plan "emphasises climate action, biodiversity and aims to increase development of wonderful recreation spaces for people to enjoy while continuing to deliver sustainable wood products to support building new homes".
"This marks an important day for Coillte," Ms Gray said.
Coillte chief executive Imelda Hurley said in the face of the climate emergency, there was an "urgent need for Ireland to meet stretching climate action targets".
"We recognise the critical role which Coillte can play in the achievement of these targets," Ms Hurley said.
"We have developed a comprehensive strategic vision that, among other things, would see us growing new forests, managing our existing forests for greater carbon capture, delivering valuable wood products, enhancing biodiversity, and creating more incredible recreational spaces for the enjoyment of our citizens and tourists."
Coillte intends to increase the area of its forest estate to be managed primarily for nature from 20% to 30% (an additional 44,000 hectares) by 2025 and to redesign an additional 70,000 hectares of existing forests to create new semi-natural woodlands, with the aim that 50% of Coillte’s estate is managed primarily for nature in the long-term.
Coillte said that through its plan, the creation of 1,200 direct and indirect jobs would be supported in rural communities.
It also intends to enable the investment of €100m to create visitor destinations by 2030 to support the growth in tourism and recreation in Ireland and to double the number of recreation areas to 500 nationally.
