Mr. Ciar?n O'Connor:

Norwegian spruce and Sitka spruce are very alike. Norwegian spruce comes from Norway and that is what they use for their timber industry. Spruce has a very long, thin trunk which makes for a very good log to timber conversion ratio whereas with broadleaf trees like oak, the sections are shorter. That is why the forms of construction using oak are different to those using pine, for example. I would emphasise the need to use both. On the better land, we have the opportunity of growing more diverse trees but on certain other sites, the spruce is the right man for the job because he is a tough divil and he can do what is asked of him. It is important in an industry where we need to supply, so we are not taking out virgin forest. That is what I mean when I talk about sophistication. It is not that the old 1984rule applies, with two legs good and four legs bad. Every tree in the right place has a job to do. It is not a question of either-or but of both. Then the question is how we select and what is the right selection process that supports an area environmentally. We need a level of sophistication in the way we do it but not as a box ticking exercise.