merrion street

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will host one of three important international workshops on the establishment and management of plantation forests. These workshops are part of the 3rd International Congress on Planted Forests, the conclusions of which will contribute to the overall Congress resolution. The workshop will be attended by forest scientists, policy makers and foresters from across the world and is being hosted in Dublin Castle. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is among the sponsors of the event.

One of the cornerstones of the Department’s annual investment in the forest sector (€116 million budgeted for 2013) is the afforestation programme, which supports a growing forest industry sector. The topic of the Congress is therefore of great interest to the Irish forest sector. The Dublin workshop will examine the restoration of forest landscapes and the ecosystem services which planted forests provide. As plantation forestry in Ireland and elsewhere becomes increasingly important in providing forest products (so that natural forests can be conserved) it is important that they are managed to maximise the conservation of biodiversity and provision of social and landscape benefits.