Minister of State with responsibility for forestry, farm safety and horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae, has today (Tuesday, March 3) announced the appointment of the next COFORD Council.

The council will play a key role in providing scientific and forestry advice to assist in the delivery and implementation of Ireland’s Forest Strategy.

Minister Healy-Rae stated: “I am delighted to announce that Prof. Áine Ní Dhubháin has agreed to be the next chair of the COFORD Council; she will bring a wealth of experience to this important role.

"The wider membership of this council, which I am appointing today, is drawn from across a diverse field of scientific expertise in forestry, including ecology, carbon and timber."

UCD professor

Prof. Ní Dhubháin is the director of the forestry undergraduate degree programme at University College Dublin (UCD).

With expertise in forestry, she has led a wide number of scientific studies which have provided outputs that have helped shape forest policy and the sector. 

The COFORD Council is appointed by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The council has been in existence for over 30 years and has undergone many changes over the years.

The new council will have a particular focus on scientific knowledge and research expertise.

Its work will complement the work of the Forest Strategy Consultative Committee, which is DAFM's main forestry stakeholder platform.

Minister Healy-Rae continued: “The studies and reports published by COFORD are important for the development of the forest sector.

"These types of reports are prepared by working groups of the COFORD Council and involve stakeholders from across the sector, as well as cross-border collaboration with counterparts in Northern Ireland.”

The new chairperson of the council, Prof. Áine Ní Dhubháin, stated: “I am delighted to accept the minister’s nomination to chair this council and look forward to working with my council colleagues and with the department to provide advice and to continue to connect science and policy.

"I have worked for many years on previous councils and know that, through collaboration, we can continue to produce studies that will support the sector and its stakeholders.”   

COFORD Council

The COFORD Council aims to facilitate the development of the forest sector to provide the full range of economic, environmental, and societal benefits to society and advocate good forestry practice.

Since its establishment, the council has provided the sector with studies and reports important for the development of the sector.

The COFORD website, maintained by DAFM, provides a library of reports and studies across the entire forest supply chain.

The Minister of State has appointed members from universities and Teagasc to join the new COFORD Council. 

Prof. Áine Ní Dhubháin, UCD - chairperson;
Dr. John Devaney, Maynooth University;
Tom Houlihan, Teagasc; 
Prof. Ken Byrne,  University of Limerick;
Associate professor, Patrick McGetrick, University of Galway;
Tom Kent, South East Technological University, Forestry; 
Fergus Moore, senior forestry inspector, DAFM.