Coillte welcomes today’s publication of the Timber in Construction Steering Group Final Report
- The report outlines a roadmap for scaling up the use of timber in construction supporting Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon built environment
- It sets out clear actions across regulation, public procurement and industry capability to deliver a step-change in the use of timber in construction
- It recognises the importance of the Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation Facility to drive research, skills, innovation and collaboration across the sector
Issued Tuesday, 9th June 2026. Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, welcomes the publication of the final report of the Timber in Construction Steering Group, which provides a roadmap to safely and effectively scale up the use of timber in construction to decarbonise Ireland’s built environment. The Steering Group, which was established in 2023, brought together over 60 organisations across government, industry, and academia and produced a comprehensive evidence base to support its recommendations, which includes technical studies, international policy reviews, and market surveys.
The report marks an important shift from policy debate to implementation, providing a practical, system-wide roadmap to address barriers to timber adoption in Ireland, particularly in regulation, procurement, skills and knowledge. Adopting more timber in Ireland’s built environment offers a clear pathway to meeting embodied carbon reduction targets, while unlocking the environmental and economic benefits already realised across Europe where timber construction is a more widely accepted form of building.
The final report of the Timber in Construction Steering Group recognises the importance of the Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation facility, to be co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and which will be co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland. This facility will act as a central hub for research, innovation, training, data analysis and industry collaboration, which are all critical in building capacity and accelerating adoption across the construction sector.
Speaking about the report, Imelda Hurley, CEO of Coillte, said, “We welcome the publication of this important report, which provides a clear and practical roadmap to significantly increase the use of timber in construction in Ireland. The recommendations, including the establishment of the Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation Facility, the introduction of a wood-first approach in public procurement; and the development of national standards, are critical to unlocking progress. Building on the strong collaboration between Government, industry and academia to date, we look forward to collaborating with all key stakeholders to progress the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Delivering more homes while meeting our legally binding climate targets requires decisive action. Timber offers a renewable, low-carbon solution that can support both, while strengthening Ireland’s forestry and construction sectors. Ireland’s growing supply of homegrown timber presents a major opportunity. By using more Irish timber in construction we can create jobs, boost domestic manufacturing and enhance our security of supply.”
With timber adoption in Ireland still significantly below European levels, the report provides a clear pathway to increase uptake while maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance.
You can view the Timber in Construction Findings here – Timber in Construction Steering Group
