Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., at the Opening of the Coillte "Healthy Forests, Healthy People" Exhibition in Clara Library, Co. Offaly, 1 March, 2010 at 4.30pm.

Tá fáilte roimhaibh go léir chuig taispeántas suimiúil de chuid Choillte dar teideal Coillte Folláin, Daoine Folláin. Cuireann sé in iúl dúinn tábhacht na gcrann agus na bithéagsúlachta i saol an duine agus an páirt lárnach atá acu i gcothromaíocht an dúlra.

I would like to welcome you all here today to the launch of Coillte's "Healthy Forests, Healthy People" exhibition.

Congratulations to Coillte on putting together such an interesting and informative exhibition and thanks to Offaly Co. Council for hosting it here at Clara Library. It is important that people have the opportunity to access such exhibitions locally. The aim of this exhibition is to raise awareness of the environmental and recreational amenity provided by Coillte Forests. It is particularly timely, as the United Nations has designated 2010 the 'International Year of Biodiversity'.

Coillte is the national forestry company and, as such, is responsible for the management of a significant forest estate of some 440,000 hectares, of which 351,000 hectares is forested. I would like to pay tribute to the Company's innovative management of this natural, renewable resource and in particular, in this important year, to their contribution to halting the loss of biodiversity.

As this exhibition reminds us, we should never take our forests for granted. Trees loom large in our natural heritage and our culture, featuring in mythology, place names, sculpture, poetry, song and literature. Niall MacCoitir, in his book "Irish Trees", gathers together the myths, legends and folklore of our native trees in a very interesting and readable way. He recalls that long ago, when Ireland was heavily wooded, it was said "that a squirrel could travel all the way from Killarney to Cork without once touching the ground!"

Forestry of course plays a significant role in our economy - for example, by providing income for farm families and employment in rural areas. And our forests confer many indispensable non-timber benefits: for example, they store carbon, provide space for recreation, help limit soil erosion and provide shade and shelter for Ireland's biodiversity.

The wide ranging importance of forestry is underlined by the Government's commitments in the renewed Programme for Government and the allocation of almost €120 million to Forestry in the Budget. I was glad to see an increase in new planting in 2009, reversing the downward trend recorded in previous years. It is vital for the timber processing industry and, indeed for the developing wood energy market, that we have continuity of supply into the future.
An issue of concern to countries worldwide is the trade in timber from illegally felled trees - Michael O Muircheartaigh, as a Patron of Just Forests, has pointed out that every second of every day, an area of rainforest the size of Croke Park is chopped down. In this regard, I am pleased to see progress on the EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), through the negotiation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements with timber producing countries. These agreements will place a legally binding obligation on the parties to implement a licensing scheme and to regulate trade in timber and timber products. A draft EU regulation to minimise the risk of illegally felled timber being placed on the EU market is also progressing well. The combination of these initiatives will undoubtedly contribute to the reduction of the illegal trade in timber and timber products.

Forests are a great place to exercise and to unwind. With over 150 recreation sites across the country and an estimated 18 million visits annually, Coillte is Ireland's largest provider of outdoor recreation. Offaly and its border counties have many environmental and recreation projects, particularly on Coillte sites. The Slieve Bloom Way offers miles of ECO walking trails, which have become very popular in the last few years with individuals, families and school outings. The trails showcase a wide diversity of flora and fauna and some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

I want to welcome the study which is currently underway on the feasibility of a world class mountain bike trail in the area. It is being carried out by a broad - very broad! - partnership, including Offaly County Council, Laois County Council, Shannon Development, Wolf Trap Cycle Club, Slieve Bloom Rural Development, Laois Partnership, Offaly County Development Board and Coillte. The anticipated success of this venture will be hugely beneficial for the Midlands, both from a social and an economic point of view.

I mentioned earlier that this is the International Year of Biodiversity. The National Parks & Wildlife Service of the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government, the State organisation primarily involved in biodiversity, is chairing a National Committee on Biodiversity Awareness to co-ordinate events during the year. The Department will shortly allocate funding from the Environment Fund, which will allow planning for a wide range of events to get underway.

Coillte itself plays a key role in biodiversity and nature conservation in Ireland. This exhibition shows how Coillte is actively restoring some of Ireland's most important areas of bog and native woodland habitats, co-funded by the EU LIFE-Nature Programme. We have a fine example of this here in Offaly at Camcor, host to the very rare "Tufa Springs" habitat.

Given the year that's in it, it's worth pointing out that Offaly has more than 500 species of wild flowers. You can read all about them in John Feehan's new book "Wildflowers of Offaly", which I had the pleasure to launch last year. Also, the Slieve Blooms support an extensive area of mountain blanket bog habitat.

Halting the loss of this kind of biodiversity is of crucial importance to us and future generations. I look forward to the awareness raising events and measures that will be undertaken during the International Year of Biodiversity and would encourage everybody to join in the effort. This is our shared inheritance, after all and we must look after it.

"Healthy Forests, Healthy People" brings many of these themes together as it features habitat restoration, nature conservation, forest recreation and nursery trees. The exhibition is timely and highly relevant and I would encourage as many people as possible to see it for themselves. I am sure that you will find it thought-provoking, informative and enjoyable.

Thank you.

ENDS