Thousand of forestry jobs at risk, warns Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it is 'not an exaggeration to say' the forestry industry, which employs 12,000 people nationwide, is 'in crisis'.

Thousands of jobs in the forestry industry are now at risk and timber stocks may be depleted by November, the Dáil has heard.

An "overwhelming" backlog in dealing with objections has lead to a "crisis" which has drastically curtailed the number of trees that are being both planted and felled the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin said it is "not an exaggeration to say" the forestry industry, which employs 12,000 people nationwide, is now "in crisis".

There has been a massive rise in the number of appeals to decisions taken by the forestry appeals committee in recent years.

Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae told the Dáil that almost 2,000 applications and 400 approved permits are being appealed by a "handful of so-called environmentalists, some of whom are supported by the Green Party, which is supporting the Government".

He said: "Unless the Government acts quickly, Ireland will soon run out of essential construction products, such as pallets and timber for the construction industry and our supply chains, forcing timber production lines to shut.

"Managing directors of top sawmills in Ireland say that only for the pandemic and the shutdown in Ireland they would have run out of timber by now."

Mr Healy-Rae said that timber is now being imported from Russia because of the shortages.

"Hardware merchants throughout the country that rely on our sawmills for much of their timber are struggling to bring in timber from overseas, which is escalating costs. Bringing in timber from abroad is ridiculous, as prices have reached record peaks in the US driven by the pandemic crisis, which has resulted in a DIY boom," he said.

Mr Martin pointed to published legislation which he said will create "a more streamlined, fit-for-purpose system".

But he said that during the consultation period the volume of objections or appeals "dramatically" increased, "perhaps in anticipation of the legislation that was about to come in".

Mr Martin said: "This has exacerbated the situation somewhat further. 

The rate of appeals on Coillte's licences increased from 30% to 80% in August and it is likely to be 100% in September.

"These are not just appeals on commercial felling. Some of Coillte Nature's new non-profit tree planting proposals, such as the Dublin mountains transformation, have also been appealed. Huge amounts of trees in the ground cannot be felled and it is very serious."

However, Mr Martin said people are entitled to object.