Forests
Coillte Teoranta is Ireland's leading forestry company which was established under the Forestry Act 1988 to manage State owned forests commercially. We now own 440,000 hectares of forest land which are a vital national economic, social and environmental resource. We manage these forest resources in accordance with sustainable forest management principles. Coillte also operates in a number of businesses developed from our core forestry skills and assets including Nurseries, Wood Products, Farm Forestry Services and International Consulting. Coillte is also a 35% shareholder in Louisiana Pacific Coillte Ireland Ltd, a joint venture with the Louisiana Pacific Corporation of the United States. This company manufactures Oriented Strand Board for the European Market at its base in Waterford, Ireland. Managing our Forests This section includes information on our approach to sustainable forest management, our preparation for, and achievement of FSC certification. It also includes factual information on the species we grow, the age class distribution of our forests, the different forest types we have and the kind of work we conduct in our forests. Forests are not only about trees and timber. They are also places of great beauty and tranquillity which provide a haven to which we can all escape from the stresses of every day living. Coillte has 11 Forest Parks and provides recreational facilities at a further 150 locations around Ireland. Coillte also operates an Open Forest Policy which means that everyone is welcome to enjoy our 438,000 hectares of forest land. Access to Coillte forests means access to the countryside and the network of forest roads and paths means that areas which would otherwise be out of reach can be reached by all. Coillte's forest land comprises about 370,000 ha of productive conifer forests and some 90,000 ha. of broadleaf forests, lakes, bogs and open mountain. About 8 million visits are made to Coillte forests every year.
