Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1159. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify what percentage of all timber cut in Ireland is being exported for the production of biomass; if he will advise what countries it is exported to for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16492/23]
View answerThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine licences the felling of roundwood and the markets decide on the ultimate destination of material. The Central Statistics Office collates information on wood exports and imports and the latest figures available for 2021 estimate that 12,029 cubic metres were exported described as "wood fuel". A further 77,732 cubic metres were exported described as "other biomass". There are no figures available for 2022.
The CSO define the "wood fuel" category as wood harvested from the main stems, branches and other parts of trees where these are harvested for fuel and wood that will be used for the production of charcoal, wood pellets and other agglomerates. It also includes wood chips to be used for fuel that were made in the forest from roundwood. It excludes wood charcoal, wood pellets and other agglomerates.
The CSO defines "other biomass" as a combination of the categories for Wood chips, particles and residues and Wood pellets and other agglomerates. It corresponds to the volume of roundwood that is left over after the production of forest products in the wood processing industry. It includes wood chips produced directly from roundwood in chipping mills. It includes wood waste and scrap not useable as timber such as sawmill rejects, slabs, edgings and trimmings, veneer log cores, veneer rejects, sawdust, residues from carpentry and joinery production, and wood residues that will be used for production of pellets, other agglomerated products or used for energy. It excludes wood chips made directly in the forest from roundwood.
The CSO also reports that the total harvest of wood removals in Ireland in 2021 amounted to 4.33 million cubic metres. Therefore based on the size of the total harvested production from Irish forest the percentage exported for biomass and wood fuel is relatively small at around approximately two percent. The CSO do not report on the country of destination in their forest removal surveys but exports are mainly to the United Kingdom.
