Grants are now available to assist in the mobilsation of timber.

The grants, under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Forest Road Scheme, were announced at the National Forestry conference in the Johnstown House Hotel, Co Meath, today, 01 June.

The event was organised by the Wood Marketing Federation and the Society of Irish Foresters.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry, Andrew Doyle, TD, said: "We must also maximise the volume of raw material that is harvested from our existing forests, not just roundwood for our processers but also the less traditional assortments for our growing renewable energy sector."

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In his address to the conference, the Minister updated the attendance on a range of measures currently being progressed by this Department under the Forestry Programme 2014-2020.

He said: "While the Irish Timber Growers Association's roundwood price database has been in operation since 2005, important information on the value of a forest owner’s timber crop is now available to all for the first time. This information will be invaluable to forest owners when assessing the market or making decisions on thinning and felling sales."

(CD/LM)