Mr. John Murray:

Thank you, Cathaoirleach, for the opportunity to read my opening statement to the committee. The world is entering a period of great change driven by the climate impact of human activity. All nations, especially the developed ones, must cut their carbon footprint. This is not optional and Ireland must play its part. Growing more trees will result in more carbon removal from the atmosphere. In addition to growing trees, huge carbon reduction is also achieved through the use of the outputs from our forests. This is mainly timber, timber products, and biofuels.

The draft strategy for Ireland's forests sets out an overriding objective to radically and urgently expand the national forest estate. If Ireland adopts this objective the outcomes will contribute massively to the nation’s climate obligations; provide lower carbon products for construction and living; add to Ireland's biodiversity; drive economic development; support rural employment; and generally contribute to Ireland's quality of life.

The ITC welcomes the recent Government forestry programme of €1.3 billion in support of the forestry sector. Given the correct conditions, Irish landowners will achieve the Government's stated afforestation targets as they have done in the past. The fall-off in planting coincides with the introduction of excessive red tape and bureaucracy, which is discouraging landowners wishing to plant. Clear examples of this bureaucracy in recent years are the licensing of afforestation, felling and the acquisition of road permits. We are confident that if farmers and other landowners can get assurances on the prompt processing of all these licences and reduce bureaucracy in the system, they will plant.

In the early 1990s, planting targets were achieved by the private sector. Private planting in Ireland from 1990 to 2005 totalled 190,000 ha, or 12,000 ha per year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine's current system could not deal with 12,000 ha per year of afforestation, as it is currently only issuing 4,500 ha per year. The loss of confidence in the system is highlighted by the poor uptake of these licences into actual planting.

The ITC believes that it is more appropriate to prioritise a fix for the bureaucratic problems and make it financially and procedurally attractive for all potential interested parties, small and large, to plant. The present system is prohibiting the small landowner and creating the scenario where only a corporate body with a comprehensive ecological team can realistically plant. This should not be the case.

The draft forest strategy states, "Support measures must be designed and developed in a way that makes the decisions around land use change and the creation of new forests easier for farmers who are considering this option." In regulating forestry, our Department has made it anything but easy for ordinary and modest landowners to get on with sustainable planting. The costs, the paperwork, and licensing debacles have turned our landowners off forestry. Our concern with the Coillte-Gresham House joint venture is that it will embed the flawed bureaucracy of recent times and will make it practically impossible for our landowning citizens to compete with the scale of expertise and automated compliance that comes with large enterprises. We fear it will raise the bar for making the decision to create a forest far above the level that can be met by the ordinary farming citizen.

Members will note extracts from statements released regarding the new joint venture between Coillte and Gresham House, which has raised grave concerns. The statements are in the public forum.

The ITC is strongly opposed to creating conditions where only Coillte, individually or through corporate alliances, can, directly or indirectly, be the primary purchaser of existing mature or semi-mature private forestry. Given Coillte’s dominant position in the Irish log supply market, it is totally unacceptable for it to increase this position through the purchase of existing forestry, which is tantamount to taking competition out of the market. This would greatly strengthen Coillte’s control of the log supply market.

The purchase of existing forestry is not new forestry and does nothing to help hit Ireland's climate change targets, but only serves to increase the State’s dominance and control of log supply to the Irish market.

We fully endorse the overriding objective to radically and urgently expand the national forest estate, as set out in the draft strategy for Ireland’s forests. The planting target to achieve our carbon reduction commitments is 18,000 ha per annum, up to 2050. This will never be achieved under the current bureaucratic licensing system. Ireland faces exorbitant fines in the future as a result of this.

We need to reduce bureaucracy and red tape, and support the farmers and landowners in achieving this target. If we do this, then we will have a much greener Ireland with houses built from Irish forests.