Money to grow on Tipperary trees for Premier County forest owners

Tipperary timber growers are set to prove that the old adage that money doesn’t grow on trees is wrong.

A new forestry umbrella group, Foresty Industry Ireland, has revealed this week that the forestry and timber industry in the Permier County is set to be worth a massive €488m to the local economy by the year 2015 when the crop matures.

The group was founded this Monday and among its members are Medite in South Tipperary as well as sawmills Coolrain outside Roscrea, and Laois Sawmills in nearby County Laois.

A FII spokesperson acknowledged that the €488m figures was an eye-opener, but pointed out that some 18,700 hectares of Tipperary land was under forestry. That amounts to just under 12 per cent of the county.

There are a total of 1,481 forest owners in Tipperary and the industry employs 740 people.

“We want people to see this as a farm crop,” said the spokesperson. “We are expecting output to double.”

Despite 85 per cent of our trade being with the UK, the industry is confident that it can prosper even under Brexit.

The spokesperson said that while Ireland has a major house building crisis, the situation was worse in the UK and Ireland could fill the vacuum as the UK is an importer of timber.

If the UK crashes out of the EU and trades under the World Trade Organisation rules, that could benefit Ireland as there are no WTO tariffs on timber, while there are on finished timber products.

““Ireland has a natural competitive advantage in forestry and timber. Our forests are delivering more and more timber to our sawmills and the construction products they make have a strong and growing market in the UK and Ireland. The industry will continue to grow and provide more jobs in rural areas,” said Mark McAuley, FII director.

The opportunity for Tipperary farmers to plant forestry to help combat climate change was proposed by Prof Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc, at this month’s agm of North Tipperary IFA.

However, one speaker from the floor said farmers in upland areas such as Upperchurch and Rearcross were being hampered in their planting because the area is designated an SAC due to the pesence of the hen harrier.

Teagasc to hold forestry clinics in Tipperary: see page 37.