Teagasc has warned that there will be a shortfall of 1.3 million cubic metres of certified wood by 2030 in a "business as usual" scenario.

According to Teagasc, this is because of a lack of certification in the private forestry sector.

Teagasc outlined the concerns in its sectoral roadmap for forestry, which it published this week along with other sectoral roadmaps for different sectors.

In Ireland and other countries in the EU, forestry and the timber products produced from it can be certified to validate that the timber is produced, and forests are managed, in ways that conform to certain environmental criteria, similar to a quality assurance system for food.

Certification

However, in Ireland, while much of the forestry land held by Coillte is certified, there is a lack of certification in the private forestry sector.

According to Teagasc, this is recognised as a potential future barrier to wood mobilisation and sales.

This is because many businesses that serve as end-users of timber will only accept certified wood.

If the current situation persists, Teagasc estimates that there will be 1.3 million cubic metres less certified timber than needed by 2030.

Teagasc said it will work to raise awareness and share knowledge on certification benefits, and to promote future initiatives to increase the availability and uptake of certification.

This is not the only challenge facing the forestry sector outlined in the Teagasc forestry sector roadmap.

By 2030, the net realisable private timber volume is estimated at 3.5 million cubic metres, with a challenge to sustainably increase timber supply to meet owners' and the sector's needs, the roadmap says.

Teagasc said that, up to 2030, it will support forest owners and groups, and will encourage participation through innovative harvesting and marketing events.

Forestry targets

Progressing towards 8,000ha or more of new forest creation annually is one of the main goals in Irelands Forest Strategy 2023-2030 and Climate Action Plan 2024.

In order to help achieve this, Teagasc said it will support new forest creation with applied forest research on tree improvement, breeding, and development of climate resilient genetic resources.

Teagasc said it will also continue to provide decision support and whole farm planning to enhance the potential of new forest enterprises in land use planning.

The forestry roadmap also says that Teagasc will "support best practice in forest management research" in both conifer and broadleaf forestry, and will promote active forest management with owners.