Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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414. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the current capability for the Irish forestry sector to produce timber that can be used in cross laminated timber manufacturing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7780/23]

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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415. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the supply of load-bearing timber in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7785/23]

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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416. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the production of timber in Ireland suitable to be used in glue-laminated timber glulam manufacturing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7786/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 414 to 416, inclusive, together.

Ireland's forests are an expanding natural resource and cover 11.6 % of our total land area. This equates to an area of 808,848 hectares as outlined in Ireland's recent National Forest Inventory. The total area in public ownership is now 49.1%.

Successive forestry programmes have provided significant funding to create new forests by private landowners which has facilitated this expansion. There are now in total over 23,500 forest owners who planted new forests in the last 30 years.

Ireland's forests are producing in excess of four million cubic metres of roundwood per year and production is set to increase to over seven million cubic metres by 2035. This expansion in production is creating a wide variety of opportunities by providing wood for construction and as a source of renewable energy. Innovation in the use of timber products has seen significant changes in the way we use wood in construction.

For example across Europe and Canada we see significant amounts of cross laminated timber and a variety of different glum laminated products, particularly in modern methods of construction.

My Department has funded a number of research projects which examined the use of different construction methods and also examined in detail the timber properties of tree species growing in Ireland. Irish timber is excellent for a wide variety construction types and is very suitable for a range of products including cross laminated and glulam timber.

Ireland does not have a cross laminated timber production plant and developing one would require a significant expansion of the market and considerable capital investment. Currently Ireland's forest resource is processed by a number of large sawmills and panel board mills who provide a range of products such as sawn timber, medium density fiber board and orientated strand board.

The use of home grown timber in construction is strength graded and used in a wide variety of applications. The majority of Irish timber is suitable for all construction types when the appropriate strength class is selected.

While it is common for Irish manufactures of timber frame building to import higher strength classes from more slower growing regions of northern Europe, there are opportunities to substitute this material with home grown timber.

For example, in Scotland, where species and growing conditions are similar to Ireland, they manufacture timber frame buildings using home grown timber.

The Climate Action plan 2023 and our new Forestry Strategy, which will be published shortly, recognises the importance of using wood in construction and the significant opportunities to reduce carbon emissions from buildings by substituting materials such as concrete and steel.

My Department is currently working with other Departments and industry stakeholders to help create the conditions to increase the use of wood and lead to more sustainable buildings in the future.

More work needs to be done in this area and you will note the Government supported the recent motion in the Seanad on 30th November 2022 which called for more wood to be used in construction.