Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a very important motion. I am very interested in this motion because I did a lot of reading on this subject over the summer. I will talk about the significant challenges in the forestry sector in a minute but I will start with the actual product and the potential it has. People have mentioned timber frame houses and modular homes. It is much bigger than that. We are talking about multistorey buildings. New York could have 20 or 30-storey buildings built out of timber. The technology, particularly in the past decade, is amazing. Obviously, it will take time and a change of momentum in the construction sector but we must look at what is happening in other countries. Senators mentioned countries in eastern Europe but the way they have used timber in the US is fascinating and there is learning here for us. If we could take what they have done in the US and bring it here, we could change how we construct our houses.

The normal rotation of a normal crop could be 35 years. If we look at projections regarding where we will be with regard to housing stock in 2055, we then need to work out how many trees we need to plant so we can reach the target that is required - not to export timber but for our nation. Are we anywhere near the number of hectares required? When we look at the unfortunate barriers we have put in place, for example with regard to peatland or high land, we see many barriers pertaining to forestry that probably were not there in the 1970s and 1980s. This must be factored in when we are considering the amount of land required to reach targets between now and 2055. If we are to reach those targets between now and 2055, we need a projection of where we need to be. It involves where our population will be in 2055, the amount of housing that will be required and the retrofitting of housing and producing an afforestation policy that will meet that.

This is a massive project that will involve the census, projections and probably a significant policy change but if we look at what is happening with the technology of timber, that is where we need to be. I predict that if we were to do that calculation, it would be a frightening figure. It would be a multiple of where we are today. The real issue then is how we reach that target, incentivise farming communities and get confidence back in the sector. That is a major body of work.

The motion is really important and we need to build on it. We need an indication of what we need in 35 years time and then put in place an afforestation plan that will reach that target. The goal must be for every house to be built from timber in 35 years time. What we do not want to be doing is importing timber from Scotland or some other country because straightaway biosecurity issues arise. I fundamentally believe that the sooner we ban the importation of timber on biosecurity grounds, the better. It is something we need to start talking about.I am paranoid about what happens at our ports where timber enters the country. We have an island that does not have the beetle. Were we ever to import it, our industry and these proposals would be grossly affected, to say the least.

This is about reaching our potential. We need to move on from this motion and put a target in place for 2055. I am fearful about what that target will be, but it will be necessary. The target will be a multiple of the number of hectares that have been planted so far. I would suggest that tens of thousands of hectares are required to reach our potential. This is the challenge for us as a society.