2013 Press Releases

Mammoth forest project reports back

13 Dec 2013
UCC's Professor John O’Halloran described how the largest sustainable forest management research project ever undertaken in Ireland will help to position the sector to achieve the growth and environmental targets of Food Harvest 2020 while protecting the nation’s biodiversity.

Scientists, practitioners and policy makers from Ireland and Northern Ireland convened in Portlaoise this week to review the recommendations of the largest sustainable forest management research project ever undertaken in Ireland.

The project addresses forest management and the delivery of economic and environmental services.

Speaking at the meeting, which was attended by Tom Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, UCC's Professor John O’Halloran described how the project will help to position the sector to achieve the growth and environmental targets of Food Harvest 2020 while protecting the nation’s biodiversity. He cautioned, “If we strive for economic growth without due consideration for the environment, we run the risk of achieving financial gain at the expense of our biological heritage.”

Food Harvest 2020, the industry’s vision for the development of agriculture and food including the forestry sector in Ireland, recognises that forestry practices and policies must be supported by relevant and up to date information. The conservation of biodiversity is a key environmental issue currently facing Irish forestry, and was directly addressed by the project. The findings of this work will be used to enhance the ability of the Irish forest industry to simultaneously deliver on environmental and economic services.

The project offers unique insight into the ecological processes that reflect the importance of Ireland’s forest estate for environmental services. Some findings have already been disseminated across more than 30 international peer-reviewed scientific publications and over 70 conference presentations, with more to follow. Findings presented at the meeting showed that opportunities for biodiversity enhancement and maintenance, as required by EU directives and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, could be maximised through appropriate forest management. This is true across all stages of forest management including site selection, choice of tree species, landscape configuration and harvesting strategies. One of the main threats, not only to forest expansion, but also to Ireland’s existing forest estate, comes from pests and disease, an issue which was also addressed in the research project.

The findings of this research come at a time when the forestry sector in Ireland is experiencing the largest expansion rate in the EU, and offer a significant opportunity to optimise economic and environmental goals in tandem for the future of the Irish forestry sector.

Minister of State Tom Hayes commented, “the provision of Government funding has been a major factor driving this important area of research which will contribute towards an improved understanding of the potential of forest management to enhance biodiversity and to contribute the continued and sustained development of the forestry sector.”

The project was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with supplementary funding provided by National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Irish Research Council.

University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

College Road, Cork T12 K8AF

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