Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My most recent meeting with Coillte was on 10 April 2017 in Macroom, Co. Cork, at the launch of Coillte Premium Partners’, Coillte’s new private forestry partnership product. I met with both the Chairman of the Coillte Board, Mr. John Moloney, and the company’s CEO, Mr. Fergal Leamy, at the event. This contact is of course in addition to ongoing contact on operational and policy issues between Coillte and officials in my Department.

One of the challenges facing the Irish forestry sector is the mobilisation of the private timber resource. ‘Forests, products and people – Ireland’s forest policy – a renewed vision’ indicates that timber mobilisation will play an increasing priority role, if forecasts of roundwood production, especially from the private sector are to be achieved.

The ‘Coillte Premium Partners’ which we discussed at our last meeting is a private forestry partnership product where the forestry partners retain ownership of their land while having direct access to Coillte’s forest management expertise, operational capacity, planning systems, certification and sales channels.  Our timber processing sector, which provides both direct and indirect employment in rural communities, require a consistent supply of good quality timber so the wider impacts of such a scheme are timber mobilization and local employment. I was therefore pleased to launch the scheme which has the potential to support Irish forest owners and create new value in the rural economy through the mobilisation of timber from privately owned forests.

I also spoke with the CEO of Coillte last month in relation to the wildfires which occurred on Coillte lands at the beginning of May, most notably in Cloosh Valley, Co. Galway.  These outbreaks were very serious, with implications for lives, livelihoods, homes, property, forests and wildlife.

My colleague, Minister of State Doyle, who is the Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for forestry, subsequently visited the site of the Cloosh Valley wildfire on Monday, 15 May 2017, where I understand he met with Coillte personnel, including Coillte’s Director of Forest Operations.  As the Deputy will recall, an extensive wildfire raged in Cloosh Valley from the weekend of 6th May 2017 until it was eventually brought under control on Thursday 11th May 2017, resulting in the estimated loss of some 1,500 hectares of forestry and 1,000 hectares of bogland.  During his visit, Minister of State Doyle saw firsthand the extent of the damage caused with the fire, its spread and the efforts to control it being the subject of the discussions.