Forest Industries Ireland (FII) has endorsed the latest report from the Climate Change Action Committee (CCAC), which advocates for a significant shift towards timber construction in Ireland.
The CCAC emphasised the necessity of adopting greener construction methods that store carbon, rather than emitting it.
“Ireland needs to move to greener construction methods that store carbon rather than causing major carbon emissions,” the organisation stated.
The CCAC’s report also highlights a contrast between Ireland and Scotland in timber frame construction.
While only 24% of new houses in Ireland use timber frames, the figure for Scotland stands at 83%. To match Scotland’s level, Ireland would need an additional 200,000m³ of construction-grade wood annually, the CCAC reported.
Director of the FII, Mark McAuley, said: “The Climate Committee and government are beginning to champion timber construction.
“We have a strong supply of timber to carry us through the next ten or fifteen years but, to satisfy longer-term demand, we need to plant conifers in much higher volumes to give us construction timber for the 2040s and beyond.
“Currently, total afforestation is running at around 2,000ha/annum and, within that, we only get about 700ha of Sitka Spruce planted under the afforestation Scheme.
Clearly, there is a policy disconnect between a desire to build more with wood and the lack of conifer planting,” McCauley said.
FII
The FII director stressed the need for increased conifer planting to meet future timber demands, calling for policy changes to encourage farmers to convert some of their land to commercial forestry.
McAuley also urged the Department of Agriculture to simplify access to the afforestation scheme and prioritise conifer planting.
“We need to treat our commercial forests as a major national asset that will enable the transition to a green construction sector.
“There are multiple environmental objectives for our forests but planting more ‘Forest Type 12’ (65% Sitka, 15% biodiversity area, 20% broadleaves) achieves all the objectives – it will provide valuable timber, support economic growth, and also enhance biodiversity,” McAuley added.
Forestry portfolios
Separately two major forestry portfolios, have recently been listed for sale valued at more than €14.5 million.
One of the portfolios that is being sold comprises 267ha mature forests across six counties and is being sold as a single lot, which according to commercial property advisors TWM, is “rare”.
The price tag for this portfolio is in “excess €7 million” and includes a mix of wildlife.
Meanwhile another 429ha forestry portfolio for sale includes 11 different forest plantations which are on the market as one or individual lots with a total value of €7.5 million.