Andrew Doyle’s appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for forestry has been broadly welcomed, not least because he already has an impressive track record in forestry and related issues.

A Wicklow beef and sheep farmer, he is also a forest owner who has influenced forestry policy, especially in his role as chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture. This committee explored the theme of land use and his even-handed approach allowed the forestry sector to make presentations on a wide range of social, environmental and economic issues.

Summing up the committee’s findings, Report on Land Use: Maximising its Potential, he acknowledged the importance of forestry as a sustainable land use in achieving climate change objectives.

Apart from hearing from a wide range of stakeholders in Ireland, the committee also examined land use internationally with special reference to Scotland, a country with a similar but more ambitious approach to forestry than Ireland.

The minister will no doubt have learned from the Scottish proactive approach in promoting forestry, which highlights all of its benefits, including timber production, import substitution, carbon sequestration, wood energy, flood mitigation and employment.

Despite the sterling work carried out by his predecessor Tom Hayes, there are a number of key issues facing Minister Doyle including:

Afforestation: The average annual planting programme in recent years has fallen to approximately 6,000ha, the smallest planting programme since the 1950s and less than half the area required. The recent Department report Land Availability for Afforestation recommended planting 15,000ha. The report identified an additional 500,000ha of land suitable for forestry without negatively affecting agricultural production and food security.

Land availability: The achievement of an 18% forest cover goal identified in the land availability report has major job creation and rural development potential and will provide the economies of scale to ensure that the Irish forestry industry will have an annual total value of close to €5bn by 2050.

Climate change: The achievement of this target will provide carbon sequestration, renewable energy and environmental benefits that will help agriculture attain the climate change targets as outlined in the COP21 Paris agreement. Ireland is uniquely placed in the EU to increase forest cover by 80%.

Wood mobility: Minister Doyle will be aware of the huge potential in increasing timber production from 4.5 million m3 on the island to 7.9 million m3 within 20 years. The challenge is to create the conditions to ensure that volumes of this magnitude reach the marketplace. This will require a proactive approach not only by forest owners, forestry companies and timber processors, but also by the various state agencies and Government departments to break down existing barriers to timber mobilisation.

Minister Doyle facilitated discussion on these issues during his time as chair of the Oireachtas committee.

He also summed up the benefits of forestry in 2010 during a Dáil debate when he was then Fine Gael spokesperson for agriculture and forestry.

“The forestry sector has a critical role to play; it drives and supports an entire industry and it is something that cannot be turned around in a year or two years,” he said.

“If we do not plan now, we will pay the price in 15, 20 or 25 years’ time.”

In that debate, he spoke about the role of forestry in relation to import substitution, greenhouse gas emission and wealth creation.

“It is estimated that the programme for Government [afforestation] target of 10,000ha would actually save the State some €46m a year,” he said.

“Cost-benefit analysis shows that for every euro spent on forestry there is a yield of €1.59 back to the State.”

The issues raised by Minister Doyle in 2010 are just as relevant today and, given his experience, expertise and knowledge of the sector, the forestry and forest products industry anticipates a new and exciting phase under his leadership. We wish him well in his new role.

Achievements by Minister Hayes acknowledged

As Minister Doyle takes on responsibility for forestry, he has been spared a number of thorny issues thanks to the achievements of his predecessor, Tom Hayes.

These have been acknowledged by forestry stakeholders, especially his hands-on approach in successfully steering the Forestry Bill through both Houses of the Oireachtas and his role in convincing the Department of Finance to restore tax-free status for forestry income.

He sought and gained Government and EU approval for the current forestry programme and chaired the Windblow Taskforce in the aftermath of Storm Darwin in February 2014, which should act as a template in the event of future serious forest damage.

He also launched the all-Ireland chalara control strategy with NI Minister Michelle O’Neill to combat the continuing problem of ash dieback.

Tom Hayes proved to be a hardworking and effective minister and his work in confronting these issues clears the way for Minister Doyle to address new challenges.

Wood mobilisation conference

Minister Doyle will launch the annual forestry conference, Wood Mobilisation, in Johnstown House Hotel, Enfield, Co Meath, next Wednesday 1 June. There are still a few places left. Queries to the Society of Irish Foresters on sif@eircom.net or contact 086-258 2240.

MEP launches new forestry website

Sean Kelly MEP launched www.foresttomarket.ie last Friday in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

This unique website is a dedicated platform for investors to source existing forests and land suitable for forestry for sale by auctioneers.

A recent report by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland showed that the average price for forestry land was €9,838/ha in 2015 – an increase of 5% over 2014.

The website has been developed by Forestry Services Ltd (FSL), one of Ireland’s leading forestry companies.

“FSL is providing free initial registration for auctioneers, while all registration by investors is free,” said Paddy Bruton at the launch. “All property listings are free until the end of August this year.”

Restoring ‘forestry’ in department name?

While forestry is a renewable resource, the word “forestry” proved non-renewable in 1997 when it was dropped as part of a Government department title, the first time since the foundation of the State.

Dropping “forestry” was regarded by the sector as a retrograde step. The argument that adding “forestry” would make the new Department title too long is no longer plausible.

Compared with the Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources, a renamed Department of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and the Marine fairly trips off the tongue.

Restoring forestry to its rightful place would be a small but much appreciated symbolic – and renewable – gesture by Ministers Creed and Doyle.