The Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) forestry and timber yearbook for 2023 was officially launched this week by Minister with responsibility for Forestry at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett.
The yearbook contains 208 pages of information for timber growers, forestry professionals, the timber industry and the general public.
Along with being a source of information for the sector, the association said that the publication also highlights the sector’s profile nationally.
The main sponsors of the yearbook are Coillte, the Murray Timber Group and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
In welcoming the publication of the yearbook, its 34th edition, Minister Hackett said:
“The 2023 ITGA Forestry and Timber Yearbook provides a wealth of information for those already involved in forestry and especially those considering planting in 2023.
“People across the country are currently considering planting trees following the announcement of the new €1.3 billion forestry programme last month.
“It has never been more important for us to work together to encourage people to plant the right tree, in the right place.”
ITGA chair, Brendan Lacey, thanked the Minister, and added:
“As a sector, forestry is ideally placed to form a core part of agriculture in Ireland, enhancing its sustainability through offsetting agricultural emissions, sequestering carbon and increasing biodiversity.
“Forestry is central to achieving our national climate change mitigation, biodiversity, water protection and rural development goals,” he said.
Lacey said that the yearbook highlights the many attributes of forestry including its economic, environmental and social importance through the articles and statistical information in the publication.
He thanked the companies, organisations and individuals who continue to support its publication.
The yearbook is available online or directly from the ITGA office in Dublin.