ConFor urges Northern Ireland Assembly to put wood at the heart of its new forestry bill

ConFor has highlighted the importance of sustainable and increasing supplies of wood to the future of forestry and wood-using businesses in Northern Ireland.

Giving evidence to the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on a proposed new forestry bill, chief executive Stuart Goodall said, "In recent decades Northern Ireland has seen the growth of a competitive, indigenous, forest-based industry. This is delivering jobs, business growth and helping in the fight against climate change. The new bill needs to enshrine a commitment to promote forest expansion, as well as, to secure and increasing supplies of wood."

The proposed bill would replace the previous 1953 Forestry Act and bring forestry legislation in Northern Ireland into the 21^st century. In seeking to deliver its aim of promoting sustainable forestry the proposed Bill also includes provisions to introduce felling licensing and, unlike elsewhere in the UK, to charge for these, and to give the Forest Service powers to control pests and vegetation on land adjacent to its forests.

"Normally we would resist new bureaucracy, such as felling licensing, but with new EU legislation imminent on the legal sourcing of timber, some form of felling licensing is likely to be necessary", said Lord Hamilton, chair of ConFor in Northern Ireland. "However, we are firmly opposed to charging for felling licensing. Such a move would have the perverse effect of reducing forest management and new planting, effectively undermining the central aim of the Bill.

"ConFor believes that the proposed forestry bill should put at its heart the ambitious Northern Ireland Forest Service plan to create an additional 150,000 hectares by 2050. This we believe will underpin the timber sector, guarantee and increase job prospects, and help mitigate climate change."

Lord Hamilton, Stuart and Brendan Friel of NI-based sawmiller Balcas, gave evidence to the committee on 21^st January 2010.

"The committee took special note of the scale of investment that has gone into the sector in recent years and recognised that sales of wood were the key income source for both public and private forests", added Brendan. "Northern Ireland mills process more wood than is produced locally and we need security of supply for the future - that will also benefit the forests and the rest of the supply chain."

ConFor also stressed to the committee the need to approach pest management, such as deer control, as part of a public-private partnership and for there to be clear boundaries to a proposal to give the Forest Service the power of compulsory acquisition.

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Notes to editors

• 1. For further information, please contact Stuart Goodall: 0131 240 1410 or 07760 557448 or stuart.goodall@confor.org.uk

• 2. ConFor (Confederation of Forest industries) represents forestry and wood-using businesses from nurseries and growers to wood-processing end-users in the UK. http://www.confor.org.uk/