The new Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering Group has held its first meeting, with a view to increasing the amount of forestry product used in the construction sector.
The group was appointed by Minister of State for land use and biodiversity Pippa Hackett.
Speaking after the first meeting of the group yesterday (Monday, November 6), Minster Hackett said: “We want to see more timber used in construction. Not only is wood a sustainable, home-grown product, but it can also replace steel and concrete, reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings.
“Timber used in construction is an excellent way of storing and locking up carbon, and has a positive impact on our climate.
“We know our forests bring great benefits for our climate, water quality, nature and biodiversity – growing timber as a product for construction is also central to our climate efforts and to the future of the forest sector,” Minister Hackett added.
The new group is comprised of industry and government departments to assess the needs of the sector and to increase the use of timber in construction.
The group is tasked with examining potential obstacles to increasing the use of timber, including regulatory and standardisation challenges, and to maximising the use of home-grown timber.
Commenting after yesterday’s meeting, the chairperson of the group, Prof. J Owen Lewis said: “I am delighted to see the enthusiasm and commitment of the steering group at [yesterday’s] meeting.
“There is a real urgency to increase the use of timber in construction, and I have no doubt that if we work together we can create the conditions for positive change.”
Prof. Lewis was appointed to the position in early October, at which point Minister Hackett said: “I have every confidence that Owen will bring the dedication and leadership needed to realise the steering group’s full potential so that it can deliver on our shared objectives.”
Forestry licences
In other forestry-related news, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued 42 licences for afforestation to date this year.
This is approximately 2% of what is required for the government to meet afforestation targets, according to the Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA).
The latest forestry licencing dashboard up to the first week of November shows that 87 afforestation applications have been received by the department so far in 2023.
467 forestry roads applications have been made, while 179 licences have been issued.
“A 50% drop in road licences further tells the story of a system that is still completely broken, no matter which way you look at it,” SEEFA said.