The National Forestry Conference in Co Meath has officially opened.

The event is taking place at Johnstown House Hotel and has been organised by the Wood Marketing Federation and the Society of Irish Foresters.

Mr Andrew Doyle, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry, said: "This year's theme of 'Minor Conifers in Ireland' offered all stakeholders in the Irish forest sector an opportunity to assess the future role of minor conifer species in Irish forestry and is therefore both timely and very relevant."

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The Minister of State noted that conifers represent 74% of all Irish forests with broadleaved forests representing the remaining 26% adding that the results of the National Forest Inventory in 2012 found that Sitka Spruce occupied over 52% of all species. The Minister of State also said that the forestry and timber industry, which contributes approximately €2.3 billion to the Irish economy and supports around 12,000 jobs, is reliant to a great extent on Sitka spruce and considered it timely to look at other options as a risk management measure.

He added that an objective of the current Forestry Programme, administered by his Department, is to encourage tree species diversity by offering increased grants and premiums and other supports for diverse conifers and broadleaves and drew attention to the increase in the relevant Grant and Premium Category (GPC 4) in the current Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme.

(CD/LM)