Coillte.ie - News http://www.coillte.ie/ Coillte - Newsen Coillte.ie - News http://www.coillte.ie/fileadmin/rss_icon.gif http://www.coillte.ie/ Coillte - NewsTYPO3 - get.content.righthttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Call for applicants for the Volunteer Ranger Service in Coillte Forest Park Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick. http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/apply-for-coilltes-volunteer-ranger-service-in-cork/ Coillte's roll-out of the Volunteer Ranger Service is extending, this time to Coillte Forest Park Curragh Chase in Co. Limerick. We are recruiting active, enthusiastic and committed walkers, hikers...Interested in giving back to the outdoors? Got some spare time? Apply for Coillte’s Volunteer Ranger Service!

Coillte's roll-out of the Volunteer Ranger Service is extending, this time to Coillte Forest Park Curragh Chase in Co. Limerick.  We are recruiting active, enthusiastic and committed walkers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to form a volunteer Ranger Team in the Park.

Did you know that Coillte has over 18 million visits to its forests every year?

The Volunteer Ranger Service will help to improve the visitor experience through the provision of information on the various trails, leading walks, being a visible presence in the Park and assisting the public in appreciating the great outdoors through communication and education.

Coillte will train Volunteer Rangers in a broad range of outdoor skills ranging from the leave no trace message to navigation, conservation and first aid.

Can you volunteer two days a month? Would you like to be involved?

View the full details and an application form . Closing date May 31st, 2012. 

]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 10:49:00 +0100 Coillte Launch New Radio Ad Campaign http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-launch-new-radio-ad-campaign/ Coillte, the commercial company operating in forestry, land based businesses, renewable energy and panel products has this week launched its first ever broadcast advertising campaign with a 30 second...Coillte, the commercial company operating in forestry, land based businesses, renewable energy and panel products has this week launched its first ever broadcast advertising campaign with a 30 second radio ad. The ad focuses on broadening and deepening public understanding of Coillte’s commercial role and makes the link between managing Ireland’s forests and the products the company manufactures and exports across the world. These wood products are used in iconic buildings such as Dubai International Airport or the Royal Festival Hall in London, as featured in the ad. The ad is running across Today FM, Newstalk and RTE Radio 1 till 14th May.The radio ad is part of wider advertising campaign that is running across multiple platforms of print and online and involves media partnerships with The Irish Times, RTE and Communicorp. Coillte spots are running across the Radio 1, Newstalk and Today FM. This week also saw publication of the Corporate Reputations Ireland RepTrak 2012 research into the reputation of companies in Ireland. The research highlights a positive move up the “charts” for Coillte in 2012. According to the research 78% of firms measured saw a drop in their reputation, however Coillte is one of the top 5 companies whose reputation is growing, with a score of a score of 70.07 up 4.10 on 2011. This helped Coillte move up from a position of 62 last year to number 30 on the list this year – a significant move.Coillte is also listed in the top 7 companies in Ireland for 'Citizenship', which is defined as being a good corporate citizen, supporting good causes and protecting the environment.Tom Byrne, Head of Corporate Communications with Coillte, commenting said:“The aim of our broadcast campaign is to communicate that for Coillte ‘trees are just the start of it’. We are making a significant contribution to Ireland’s exports with the manufacture of wood panel products in our factories in Waterford and Clonmel. Coillte is also key to developing Ireland’s telecom and wind energy industries. This campaign will hopefully start to make that link for people.“This current phase of the campaign is building on work we began in 2011 engaging people around our recreation story and earlier this year when we celebrated 10 years of international endorsement of our sustainability credentials with Kevin McCloud hosting an event to mark 10 years of FSC Certification. “We are pleased with the overall feedback we are getting on this latest phase of our campaign and will continue to tell our story in new and engaging ways,” he said.

Listen to the Radio Advert here: http://soundcloud.com/coillte/coillte-radio-advert ENDS Media Contact
Tom Byrne,
Head of Corporate Communications,
Coillte.
Tel: 353 86 810 4224]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 11:02:00 +0100 Coillte plants 15 million trees annually, enhancing environment and sustaining forest products business. http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-plants-15-million-trees-annually-enhancing-environment-and-sustaining-forest-products-busin/ Coillte is marking its partnership with the Tree Council of Ireland in National Tree Week, the annual celebration that acknowledges the valuable role trees play in our lives, with the donation of... 3 of panels produced in its Clonmel factory since it was established in 1983. Over the period 2007 to 2010 Ireland was the largest exporter of medium density fibreboard (MDF) to the UK.  In addition, SmartPly Europe in Waterford, also part of Coillte Panel Products, has manufactured over 4 million cubic metres of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), a structural panel board used in construction, since it was set up in 1996. This amounts to a total of 11 million cubic metres of timber panel products produced in Ireland from Irish timber with an estimated value of €2.5 billion. With 90% of these products exported €2.25bn worth of timber panel products have been shipped from Ireland over the life of these plants to markets all over the world. Coillte also supplies logs to the Irish sawmill sector which itself has become much more export focused. Over the period 2000 to 2010 the volume of sawn wood exported by the Irish sawmill sector increased by 227%. Coillte’s forests are internationally recognised as responsibly and sustainably managed, and Coillte is celebrating 10 years of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. This certification has become increasingly valuable as awareness has grown of the importance that timber and timber based products are sourced from forests which are managed in accordance with strict environmental, social and economic criteria. National Tree Week continues until the 9th of March. Further details are available on: www.coillte.ie www.treecouncil.ie ]]> Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:04:00 +0000 Coillte and Tree Council launch National Tree Week http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-and-tree-council-launch-national-tree-week/ Over 15,000 trees donated by Coillte will be planted by schools and local community groups across the country during National Tree Week 2012. Coillte works in partnership with the Tree Council of... www.coillte.ie or www.treecouncil.ie/treeweek/programme2012.html]]> Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:41:00 +0000 Coillte celebrates 10 years of FSC and positive outlook for exports of Irish timber http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-celebrates-10-years-of-fsc-and-positive-outlook-for-exports-of-irish-timber/ Coillte is celebrating 10 years of FSC Certification which has helped increase exports of timber and delivered social and environmental benefits to the people of Ireland.
  • FSC Certification has been vital in positioning Coillte as a leading European supplier of timber and panel products
  • Guest speaker Kevin McCloud from Channel 4’s Grand Designs says timber sector has a bright future

Coillte, Ireland’s largest forestry and forest products company, today hosted an event at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium to celebrate 10 years of independent certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This certification is an independent endorsement of Coillte’s management of its forests and has been a major factor in allowing Coillte and its customers increase exports of timber and timber panel products. The event also recognised the role of all of Coillte’s customers, contractors  and stakeholders in maintaining this certification and was attended by approximately 200 people.

Kevin McCloud the writer, designer and television presenter best known for Channel 4’s Grand Designs, was Master of Ceremonies and keynote speaker at the event.

Speaking at the event David Gunning, Chief Executive of Coillte said:

“FSC Certification gives our customers and stakeholders the assurance that we meet strict environmental, social and economic criteria in managing our forests. Our timber panel products manufactured in Clonmel and Waterford Port - Medite MDF and SmartPly OSB -  are also FSC certified, enabling us to increase our exports to markets in the UK and Europe.

“FSC certification has also been instrumental in the ability of our saw mill customers to grow their exports of timber, with the UK again being a major market.

“Securing and maintaining an internationally recognised certification such as FSC for our forestry management over the last 10 years is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the innovative and sustainable management of natural resources.

“I want to pay special tribute to the Coillte teams across the country who, through their effective management of the estate, have contributed to this success. I also want to recognise the role all of our customers, stakeholders, contractors and suppliers in the achievement of this great milestone.”

Kevin McCloud commented:

“It’s great to have been part of today’s event and to share in Coillte’s celebration of 10 years of FSC Certification. Timber is one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly construction materials. It’s vital that timber is managed and harvested in accordance with sustainable principles, and Coillte’s FSC certification demonstrates their commitment to this approach – not just in theory but in practice.

“I believe there is a really positive outlook for the timber and timber products sector as it has a major role to play in ensuring we have energy efficient and truly sustainable homes, offices and other buildings.

“In my work I promote the benefits of a sustainable approach to building and development and I believe it is the key to energy efficient buildings and truly sustainable communities.”

Some facts and figures:

Over the period 2000 to 2010 the volume of sawn wood which has been exported by the saw mill sector in the Republic of Ireland has increased by 227%. One of the reasons for this is the availability of FSC certified timber from Coillte’s forests. This has helped this sector access new markets as domestic demand has decreased.

Over the period 2007 to 2010 Ireland was the largest exporter of medium density fibreboard (MDF) to the UK. This is again a clear indicator that Coillte’s ability to produce certified MDF at its plant in Clonmel has been a key driver in exports.

Coillte manages 7% of the land in Ireland in a sustainable and responsible way. Coillte’s role also includes the innovative use of this land estate for the development of renewable energy and telecommunications infrastructure to derive the maximum commercial benefit from the estate. Coillte is also Ireland’s leading provider of world class recreation facilities such as mountain bike trails and forest parks and is very active in encouraging people to enjoy the great natural resource on our doorstep.

For more information contact:

Tom Byrne
Head of Corporate Communications
Coillte
Tel: 01 201 5231 / 086 810 4224

Damien Garvey, Q4 Public Relations, Tel: 01 4751444 / 086 8314435
Sile Murphy, Q4 Public Relations, Tel: 01 4751444 / 086 0288132

Notes to Editors:
Coillte is Ireland’s largest landowner and is involved in forestry, land management and renewable energy, as well as the manufacture and export of timber panel products. The company employs approximately 1,000 people in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Coillte is celebrating 10 years of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. For more information on Coillte see www.coillte.ie or download our iPhone app from the app store.

Find out what FSC means to Coillte ]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:06:00 +0000 Growth in demand for data services drives opportunities in telecoms http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/growth-in-demand-for-data-services-drives-opportunities-in-telecoms/ Thursday 19th January 2012: Coillte, Ireland’s largest forestry and forest products company, today hosted a briefing session for senior executives in the telecommunications industry at which the...
  • Average time spent online per day now matches time spent watching TV signalling ongoing need for investment in telecoms infrastructure
  • Coillte now managing largest portfolio of telecom mast sites in Ireland with 420 towers, adding real value to estate
  • Coillte has invested €5 million in growing telecoms business in recent years
    • Thursday 19th January 2012 - Coillte, Ireland’s largest forestry and forest products company, today hosted a briefing session for senior executives in the telecommunications industry at which the company set out its stall as a key player in the future growth of the sector in Ireland.

    Coillte owns and manages 7% of the land of Ireland making it Ireland’s largest landowner. As part of its ongoing strategy to add value to its estate Coillte has built up the largest portfolio of telecoms mast sites in the country with over 420 towers on Coillte land. Coillte has invested approximately €5m in its telecoms business in the last 3 years and has a clear strategy to meet the growth in demand in the wireless sector.

    Speaking at the event David Gunning, Chief Executive of Coillte said: “Coillte has invested significant time and energy in getting to know this sector, understanding the business and building powerful relationships with our customers which will help deliver opportunities for us to enhance the value of our assets. Coillte is a major player in the successful rollout of the National Broadband Scheme, building over 100 telecom towers as part of that project to bring broadband to rural areas.   “We are now ready for the next phase of our development in this sector and are delighted that so many of the leading players in the industry have attended our event today to hear about our strategy for the future and to understand the opportunities which this brings for them

    “Our strategy in telecommunications clearly shows how we can add value to the land asset which we manage when we are innovative and customer focused. The major growth in demand for mobile data, the introduction of new technology and the consolidation of the existing networks will require additional network coverage and capacity. Fibre connectivity to telecom tower sites is fast becoming a requirement to enhance the network performance and deliver high speed wireless services. Coillte is actively exploring how fibre connectivity can be delivered to its portfolio of telecom site locations in order to meet the current and future market requirements.”

    Also featured at the event today was an overview of the recently launched Coillte Telecoms website – www.coilltetelecoms.ie. The website gives a huge amount of information on Coillte’s tower portfolio and allows customers search for relevant information countrywide. 

    Commenting on the success of the website Mark Foley, Managing Director of Coillte Enterprise said:

    “The website is proving to be a very popular tool with our customers because of the amount of information available and the ability to search the Coillte portfolio of towers and land locations on it.

    “Numerous reports confirm that the public appetite for data services is continuing to grow. Coillte is at the forefront of helping to build the infrastructure to meet this demand” he added.

    Ends.

    For more information contact:
    Tom Byrne
    Head of Corporate Communications
    Coillte

    Tel: 01 201 5231 / 086 810 4224

    Notes to Editors:

    Coillte’s core purpose is to enrich lives, locally, nationally and globally through innovative and sustainable management of natural resources. Coillte is Ireland’s largest landowner and is involved in forestry, land management and renewable energy, as well as the manufacture and export of timber panel products. The company employs approximately 1,000 people in Ireland, the UK and Europe.


    Coillte is celebrating 10 years of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in its forestry business this year.

    For more information on Coillte see www.coillte.ie or download our iPhone app from the app store.

    Key drivers of demand for data services:
    Fixed and mobile broadband growth – Fixed broadband increased by 8% between Q2 2010 and Q2 2011. Mobile broadband grew by 14.8% between Q2 2010 and Q2 2011 (ComReg’s Quarterly Key Data Report, Q2, 2011).

    Greater time spent online – Time spent online per day at 2 hours 44 minutes now mirrors time spent watching TV at 2 hours 49 minutes (Red C: De-Coding Digital Trends Ireland 2011). The average Irish Internet user spends 8 hours per week on social media, the heaviest users of social media are 18-24 year at 11 hours per week (Behaviour & Attitudes: Bacardi Together Poll, July 2011).

    ComReg website September 2011
    Consumer adoption of higher (advertised) broadband speeds continues, with 12.5% of all broadband subscriptions now in the >10Mbps category compared to 7.3% this time last year.

    ]]>     Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:27:00 +0000     Coillte security partner wins Innovation award http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-security-partner-wins-innovation-award/ Security firm Niscayah recently won the Innovation in Security Award at the Irish Security Industry Association Awards for their work with Coillte on a unique approach to monitoring our estate.
    As part of an overall review of forest security by Coillte, a new and innovative approach was taken to harness the use of technology to minimise timber theft, antisocial behaviour and illegal dumping. In order to align this inititive with Coillte's core values of sustainable management, surveilance equipment was installed at known blackspots that was powered by 100% renewable sources. Coillte partnered with Niscayah to develop the solution that uses both wind and solar energy to generate electricity that powers CCTV cameras. These cameras were remotely monitored using the 3G wireless mobile network.

    The development of this innovative prototype in very remote rural locations with no fixed power source or telecommunications has pushed the bounds of what technology can do. The innovative idea was developed through different iterations where key concepts and insights were used to refine and validate the prototype. Coillte is a progressive company and has embraced innovation, seeing it as one of the key values of the organisation.]]>     Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:20:00 +0000     Coillte wins major contract for supply of forest plants to Northern Ireland Forest Service http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-wins-major-contract-for-supply-of-forest-plants-to-northern-ireland-forest-service/ Tuesday, November 15th – Coillte Nurseries, part of the Coillte Enterprise division of the Coillte Group, has today announced a major contract win for the supply, delivery and offloading of 10...  
    Coillte  Nurseries, part of the Coillte Enterprise division of the Coillte Group, has today announced a major contract win for the supply, delivery and offloading of 10 million forest plants to the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Forest Service.

    The contract will commence in January 2012 and run until the end of 2016.  Approximately 2 million plants will be supplied annually by Coillte to the Northern Ireland Forest Service over the course of this five year deal.

    This contract builds on the existing business between Coillte and the Northern Ireland Forest Service to which Coillte Nurseries has supplied in excess of 5.6 million forest plants over the past three years. The supply will come from Coillte’s Killygordon Nursery in Donegal where local Coillte staff already have an excellent working relationship with the Northern Ireland Forest Service.

    Sitka Spruce will make up the vast majority of the plant requirements but there will also be a requirement for Broadleaf, Pine and other Conifer stocks within the contract.

    Commenting on the contract win, Eamonn Kenny, Head of Coillte Nurseries said:

    “We have supplied the re-planting requirements for the Forest Service in Northern Ireland for the past 3 years and were keen to continue and deepen this relationship. We feel the awarding of this tender recognises the high customer focus and quality control systems we have in place for which all Nurseries staff must be complimented.”

    ]]>     Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:13:00 +0000     Energy interconnector adds to Ireland’s wind energy potential http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/energy-interconnector-adds-to-irelands-wind-energy-potential/ Coillte, Ireland’s leading company operating in forestry, land based businesses, renewable energy and panel products, has today welcomed the commencement of the laying of underwater electrical...
  • Wind energy could be a major addition to Ireland’s export offering, especially to the  UK market
    • Coillte, Ireland’s leading company operating in forestry, land based businesses, renewable energy and panel products, has today welcomed the commencement of the laying of underwater electrical cabling to connect the Irish and UK energy markets. Coillte has said that wind energy development offers the potential for up to €10 billion new investment in the Irish economy over the coming decade and could be a major addition to Ireland’s export offering, which underlines the importance of a direct connection to the UK market. David Gunning, CEO of Coillte, commented:
    “The potential of wind energy development in Ireland is significant. Whilst Ireland needs an alternative to imported fossil fuel based energy to satisfy domestic renewable energy obligations, and help tackle climate change, the potential also exists for Ireland to develop energy export capacity by capitalising on the high wind yield that exists in many parts of the country which should also lead to cheaper electricity prices for consumers in Ireland.
    “For example, the energy needs of our nearest export market are significant and will increase as outdated technologies – such as coal power generation – reach the end of their life.  This highlights the importance of linking the UK and Ireland electricity power grids to allow for the future export of wind energy from Ireland.”
    Mr Gunning has also said that Ireland now needs to do more to meet the targets that have been set for wind energy generation:
    “Ireland has targets for a considerable expansion in the delivery of energy from wind, and to meet these targets approximately 3,000 megawatts (MW) of additional wind energy capacity will need to be built and brought online by 2020. However, the amount of additional wind energy generating capacity that is being delivered annually is not sufficient to meet this target.
    “In 2010 the additional MW capacity developed nationally was 115 MW with a projected 200 MW to be delivered by the end of this year. At this rate, Ireland will be significantly shy of the targets set by the end of the decade. “Meeting the existing 2020 targets will involve a total investment of €4.5 billion in wind energy. However, taking exports of electricity into the equation, conservative estimates show an investment potential of €10 billion,  based on the industry standard price per MW, over the coming 10 years.  “Coillte is well placed to play a very significant role in the development of wind energy in Ireland.  We have a development pipeline in excess of 1200MW of windfarm projects and in addition 20% of the current wind capacity is on land previously owned by Coillte. We have developed significant expertise in working to develop wind energy projects both in our own right and with other companies.”
        Coillte manages approximately 7% of the land in the State, and is mandated to derive maximum commercial benefit from this resource. Forestry products are a major part of our business with approx 70% of products delivered from the forest resource being exported. However, the expansion of wind energy in Ireland is a growing component of Coillte’s commercial business. Ends/ For more information contact: Tom Byrne Head of Corporate Communications Coillte  Tel: (353 1) 201 5231 / 086 810 4224 Damien Garvey Q4 Public Relations Tel: 01 4751444 / Mob: 086 8314435 Notes to editor: Coillte is Ireland’s largest landowner and is involved in forestry, land management and renewable energy, as well as the manufacture and export of timber panel products. The company employs approx 1,000 people in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Coillte is celebrating 10 years of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in its forestry business this year. For more see www.coillte.ie Ireland’s wind energy opportunity: The IWEA/Deloitte report from 2009 identified that construction and development of wind energy projects across Ireland, North and South will involve approximately €14.75billion of investment. €5.1 billion of this could be retained in the Irish economy.  ]]>     Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:58:00 +0100     Coillte and Astellas Ireland conclude milestone five year contract for fuel supply http://www.coillte.ie/aboutcoillte/news/article/view/coillte-and-astellas-ireland-conclude-milestone-five-year-contract-for-fuel-supply/ Coillte and Astellas Ireland Ltd have today announced the conclusion of a five year agreement for the supply of biomass fuel for a new 1.8MW boiler in the Astellas pharmaceutical facility in... Tuesday 25th October 2011 – Coillte and Astellas Ireland Ltd have today announced the conclusion of a five year agreement for the supply of biomass fuel for a new 1.8MW boiler in the Astellas pharmaceutical facility in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. The first deliveries of wood chips from Coillte to Astellas Ireland are scheduled for February, 2012.

    Astellas Ireland Ltd operate a state of the art pharmaceutical facility in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. The facility serves the worldwide market as the manufacturing base for the formulation and packaging of Prograf and Advagraf, drugs used in the treatment of organ rejection in transplant surgery. Over 300 people are employed at the plant.

    Astellas is currently constructing a new 1.8MW biomass boiler to meet the demand for steam at the Killorglin facility. The project will offset significant volumes of fossil fuel, providing Astellas with significant annual energy savings and a reduced carbon footprint.

    Bill Stanley, Director of Biomass Energy with Coillte, commented:

    “This is a significant milestone for Coillte as it is our first contract to supply biomass material for an industrial heat application. Biomass can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change and this contract will displace fossil fuels from use at the Astellas Killorglin facility. This is also an important commercial development for Coillte which will also have a positive impact on the South Kerry region through the development of a local biomass energy supply chain.

    “It is expected that the majority of the biomass feedstock will be sourced from forest resources in the Kerry region. Both Coillte and Astellas Ireland Ltd are committed to a biomass strategy that matches renewable energy requirements with local biomass supply, and we look forward to working closely together on this in the years ahead.”

    Micheál Cassidy, AICL Procurement Manager with Astellas Ireland Ltd, commented:

    “Astellas Ireland has a strong commitment to good environmental practice. This project will provide Astellas with a reduced carbon footprint coupled with significant annual energy savings.  Our partnership with Coillte will supply all of our biomass renewable energy requirements for the foreseeable future.

    “We expect this project will have a positive impact on the local community and the South Kerry economy. This project represents a milestone development in the pharmaceutical sector and in the biomass energy sector in the Kerry region.”

    As part of the new boiler and under construction at the Killorglin facility wood chip fuel will be dropped into a below ground delivery pit where it will then be transferred by an automated overhead crane grab to a large storage area and then moved further into a high level hopper feed where it will be fed by a push feed mechanism into the biomass boiler. This boiler will supply the base steam demand for the facility.]]>     Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:42:00 +0100