A campaign to double forestry cover in Ireland by the year 2030 has been launched by the Donegal Woodland Owners Society Ltd, writes SEAN MACCONNELL
Its chairman, John Jackson, said it did not make sense for Ireland to import timber for the new plants from Scotland, when there were so many advantages here. “We have superb growth rates for forestry, demand for timber products is rising and there is land available for further afforestation,” he said.
“This €2 billion a year Irish forest industry, which employs 16,000 people, can double in size, providing sustainable jobs, rooted in rural Ireland,” Mr Jackson said. He said Ireland’s modern timber processing industries were adding value, exporting and demanding more saw logs.