Contractors mainly work for Coillte Forest in Harvesting, Haulage, Engineering, Establishment, Nurseries and Districts and are central to the success of a wide range of operational programmes.

Forestry Industry

Up to date and current information on the forestry industry is very important for contractors so that they can plan more effectively to relevant situations and trends. Some useful links to this information are as follows;

Irish Timber Growers Association's (ITGA) website and newsletters
COFORD website and free e-newsletter 
Forest Service website
Forest Service of Northern Ireland

Health and Safety Information

Good workplace health and safety not only protects people from being injured but also contributes to business success.  There is considerable evidence that effective workplace health and safety actually contributes to business success and enables the business to comply with it statutory obligations.  The risks to business from failing to manage workplace health and safety are significant. In many instances such failures arise from lack of knowledge rather than deliberate actions on behalf of the business owner.  Knowledge and information is the first step in implementing an effective safety management system which should be based on risk assessment and risk control.

This page provides links to  statutory bodies and other  organisations where health and safety  information is available to assist you and your business  implement your safety management system and comply with your statutory obligations.

Some useful links are as follows:

HSA Code of Practice "Managing Safety in Forestry Operations"  

Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group (AFAG) Guidelines - FASTCo

Safe use of all-terrain (ATV's) vehicles in agriculture and forestry - HSE Information Sheet

Code of Practice for Avoiding Danger from Overhead Electricity Lines

HSA Safety Signage

Safe System of Work Plan (SSWP)

Guidelines on Risk Assessments and Safety Statements

Risk Assessment - Fact Sheet 80

Risk Assessment - Fact Sheet 81

Control the risks from hand-arm vibrations

Contract Procurement

Coillte's procurement of contract services are subject to the Public Procurement Guidelines, the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, and the European Union Directives.

Contract services are generally procured from pre qualified service providers (contractors)  via framework agreements or by tender competitions organised by the various business units following advertisement on http://www.etenders.gov.ie or the European Journal depending on contract values.

If you require any further information or have any query in respect of Contract Services you can contact the Coillte Group Procurement staff using Coillte's website.

Environmental Information

The Environmental Impact Appraisal (EIA) Process

The EIA process is central to the implementation of Responsible Forest Management and demonstrating compliance with the FSC Certification Standard in relation to environmental and social impact appraisal. An EIA appraisal  must  be completed for all site disturbing operations including harvesting, establishment , engineering and other development works prior to commencement.  All potential impacts must be identified with the proposed mitigation measures  in place on each operational  site.  Mitigation measures should reflect the scale and sensitivity of the impacts on the identified receptors. The EIA form with maps highlighting areas of biodiversity,  water, archaeology, cultural features  and  high conservation value forests is part of the  site plan  requirement on all operational sites.  Monitoring and supervision procedures reflecting site sensitivity must also be in place and recorded.

Responsible Forest Management

When consumers buy forest products (anything from round timber, through furniture to paper), Forest Certification is a way of assuring consumers that the timber or timber products they buy come from responsibly managed forests.

There are a number of forest certification schemes world wide, but in Europe the two most active schemes are:

1.       The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and

2.       The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Coillte forests have been certified to the FSC standard since May 2001. This demonstrates that they are well managed in accordance with strict environmental, social and economic criteria.

FSC Certification

In 2000, when Coillte decided to seek forest certification, the FSC scheme was chosen for a number of reasons:

• The UK markets were increasingly demanding FSC certified timber
• The FSC scheme was one of the most credible of the forest certification schemes emerging at the time and
• Being the most demanding scheme, it was considered that compliance with FSC standards would ensure that all environmental and social requirements expected from the company would be met, or exceeded.

FSC standards pay strict attention to high impact  operations in Coillte (road making, harvesting, ground cultivation and other developments works). Certification requirements cover areas such as consultation with stakeholders, working close to watercourses including the creation of buffer zones, biodiversity areas and protection of cultural heritage.  Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) training is key to meeting those requirements. Because of the importance of these operations, contractors play a vital role in the certification process.

FSC accredited auditors carry out a main audit of  our forests every five years and an annual surveillance audit to check compliance with the certification standard requirements. Many contractors are interviewed from time to time to assess their competence and knowledge while they  carry out daily work in line with certification requirements.

When Coillte management and operations are found in non compliance with the standard a Corrective Action, condition or recommendation is issued. Coillte are then given a period of time to implement an action plan  to  demonstrate compliance with the standard. Non compliance resulting in a  number of major Corrective Actions could lead to suspension of the FSC certificate. Certification auditors have acknowledged the high standards that  contractors have achieved since the advent of certification. Certification requires Coillte to working on the development of these standards  across all areas of  the company.

Coillte Managers

• Contact details for M.D. Coillte Forest and Harvesting and Haulage contacts
• Contact details for Establishment Contacts
• Contact details for Engineering Contacts
• Contact details for Eastern Region Contacts
• Contact details for North West Region Contacts
• Contact details for Southern Region Contacts