A ‘significant fund’ needs to be spent on promoting timber in Ireland, according to Ronnie Guilford, chairman of the Irish Timber Trade Association. He has called on Coillte and major board manufacturers to help set up such a fund.
Speaking at the ITTA’s annual dinner in Dublin, Mr Guilford said that, while the association welcomed campaigns such as Wood for Good in the UK, ‘it can have only a marginal effect here’.
‘When you consider the potential of our market now, we really need a significant fund to be spent on promoting forest products here in the Republic of Ireland,’ he said. Recently, the ITTA’s most important promotion initiative had been the Irish Joinery Awards, he added. It is intended to broaden the awards next year to attract more nominations.
Mr Guilford went on to mention the ITTA’s relationship with the Timber Trade Federation. While services in areas such as contracts, arbitration and the environment were useful, most of the Federation’s work related to the UK. This was reflected in a special affiliation fee recently agreed for Ireland.
TTF director-general Paul Martin, who was a guest at the dinner, said he recognised that not all the TTF’s services were relevant to Ireland but the relationship between the two associations was important.
‘I think we have found a way for our relationship to go forward in a constructive way,’ he said.
