The socio-economic contribution of forestry in Ireland and Carbon sequestration and Irish forest ecosystems were undertaken by university researchers in collaboration with Ireland’s state forestry body Coillte.
According to COFORD director Dr Eugene Hendrick, the reports “captured for the first time the full economic contribution of the forestry sector”. “It contributes 1% of GNP,” he said. “Forestry is now a productive and profitable land use.”
“Wealth and jobs are flowing from forestry,” said forestry minister Mary Wallace at the launch of the reports. “This research also highlights that with every 100 jobs in forestry provide a further 90 in other parts of the economy.”
The second report states that, on the basis of an estimate of Sitka spruce’s carbon uptake at four to eight tonnes per hectare per year, Ireland’s woodlands can contribute 20% of the reductions in emissions the country has to make to meet Kyoto targets.
“The Kyoto compliance period begins in a year and we have a forest resource that is set to remove about two million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air annually from 2008 onwards, with potential savings of €30m a year to the exchequer,” said minister Wallace.
