I never tire of watching skilled harvesting machine operators in full swing as pictured here in this clearfell operation on a Veon managed forest in Co. Leitrim. Once harvested, Veon will replant a new woodland crop which will sequester more CO2 from the atmosphere.
This lumber will be processed in Irish sawmills to provide much-needed house-construction material with timber residues being used for further processing in Leitrim such as at the Masonite factory in Carrick-on-Shannon which manufactures high-quality doors which are exported around the world, with remaining forest residues being used in biomass energy generation.
Apart from contributing to rural job creation, Irish commercial forestry is an important natural resource as we move to a circular bio-economy and wake up to our responsibilities to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels – usually sourced from regimes we would not wish to mirror or support – and face up to our responsibilities in mitigating the worst effects of climate change.
A recent report by Forest Research, The Research Agency of the Forestry Commission in the UK*, found that in the short term, fast growing conifers can capture up to eleven times as much carbon as broadleaved woodlands, whilst over an 80 year span conifers can capture three times as much carbon – particularly if wood products are included.
Conifers also score substantially higher on emissions avoided through substituting wood for other materials in product manufacture. Obviously, native broadleaf species need consideration as they provide important habitat and biodiversity services which is why new afforestation sites must include a significant percentage of native broadleaf trees.
*(Matthews, R.W., Henshall, P.A., Beauchamp, K., Gruffudd, H., Hogan, G.P.,Mackie, E.D., Sayce, M. and Morison, J.I.L. (2022) Quantifying the sustainableforestry carbon cycle: Summary Report. Forest Research: FarnhamIt) https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2022/07/QFORC_Summary_Report_rv1e_final.pdf
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