Time to Thin? Talk to Coillte
Getting the Most from your Forest Crop
Most plantation owners know that their timber is a valuable asset. However, very few know how to value the crop. As a farmer you know what the market pays for your products, because of your familiarity with agricultural prices, markets etc, and the fact that most farmers sell these on a regular basis. But timber is different. Most forest owners sell timber infrequently, sometimes only once in a lifetime.
It is vital, therefore, that you go with a name you can trust when it comes to the harvesting and sale of your forestry crop.
Thinning Experience & Expertise
Coillte currently harvests over 1.5 million m3 (cubic metres) of timber from our own and privately owned forests each year, and sells a further 800,000 m3 standing. As such, we are by far the leading producer of timber in the country.
Through our panelboard mills, SmartPly near Waterford and Medite in Clonmel, Coillte’s Panel Products division is also Ireland’s largest consumer of pulpwood. Last year, Coillte produced almost 600,000 m3 from thinnings, and in the coming years thinnings will represent an increasing proportion of our annual programme.
There’s Never been a Better Time to Thin
The good news is that for today’s forest owners, there has never been a better time to thin. Ongoing success in export markets means there is strong demand from Irish processors for all categories of log. Coillte’s two panelboard mills will processed over 900,000 m3 of pulpwood alone last year. All of this means strong prices and the likelihood of significant returns; forest owners can expect returns in the region of €450 per hectare for first thinnings and €550 per hectare for second thinnings.
Ireland’s Largest Customer Base
Coillte’s wide customer base includes all of Ireland’s leading sawmills and panelboard mills, giving unrivalled access to customers for all of the products a crop will produce over its lifetime from first thinning to clearfell.
Time to Thin? Talk to Coillte
So if you are the owner of a forest crop approaching thinning age or clearfell then talk to the experts, talk to Coillte.
Call our Lo-Call number 1800 200 728 to explore your options.
