Coillte’s role in managing forests in Ireland …

… and your role in helping us

As the key holder to these forests and as a commercial forestry and forest products company, Coillte has to make the final decision as to the detailed operation of each of our forest sites. We manage the forest estate according to Responsible Forest Management (RFM) principles, as we seek to balance the Social, Economic and Environmental aspects of our business. In doing so, we wish to ensure local participation in the planning process. It enhances our understanding of how our decisions impact on all forest users and on our neighbours and also helps create a positive working environment for our staff and contractors. 

In addition to our forestry activity, Coillte sells, leases or develops land, for other purposes, as part of its strategic approach to managing 7% of the land of Ireland. These activities represent a key part of Coillte’s business and deliver benefit to individuals and communities at local and national levels. Most sales are made in response to local demand and typically comprise house sites, isolated dwelling houses, sections of recently acquired farms, small outlying forest properties and gravel pits.

In addition, some of Coillte’s properties are suitable for the development of telecommunications facilities, such as masts. Coillte also seeks to undertake property development projects, including community developments, tourism development, industrial development, and residential development. The consultation process appropriate to each of these projects is defined on a case by case basis in accordance with our consultation policy.

Coillte also owns a substantial amount of land, particularly upland sites, that is suitable for the generation of wind energy. Whilst the process of finalising the precise location of such sites will be ongoing for a number of years, any development, sale or lease arrangement arising will be subject to the consultation procedures consistent with our consultation policy.

We are looking for your help, as someone with an interest in what we do, to suggest changes and improvements to our forest plans. We want to hear your views on:

What should be included in our plans?

What have we done well or where do we need to improve our draft plans?

We will respond to your queries and endeavour to incorporate them into our plans. In this way we can all continue to benefit from the unique set of natural resources which are vested with Coillte to be managed and, at the same time, support a viable commercial timber sector.

• To contact us via our feedback form with a query/view about a draft plan for a forest of interest to you, which is currently being reviewed click here.
• To see more details on the Forest Management Plan review process, click here
• To view details of our current plans via the online map viewer, click here

Thank you in advance for your participation in this planning process and we look forward to working with you to make sure our forests are put to the best use for all those in the community.