Forest Industries Ireland (FII) has announced the election of its new chairperson.

FII is part of Ibec, representing a mix of members across the Irish forestry sector.

Mark Sheeran, managing director of CJ Sheeran Ltd, has been confirmed as the new chairperson.

He succeeds Brian Murphy, chief executive of Balcas, who has served his term as the inaugural chairperson of FII.

As chief executive of Ireland’s largest pallet manufacturer, Mark Sheeran is said to bring a wealth of experience and leadership to the role.

CJ Sheeran Ltd is also the owner of Coolrain Sawmills, giving him insight into the timber supply chain from raw material to finished product.

Mark McAuley, director of FII, welcomed the appointment, stating: “Mark brings a huge amount of experience and energy to the role.

“Mark is deeply committed to strengthening the entire forest products supply chain and building on the commercial success of an industry that has expanded significantly over the last two decades, driven by a growing supply of raw material and the ambition of family-owned firms which lead wood processing across Ireland.

“This experience aligns well to FII’s commitment to supporting the continued growth of the Irish forest sector.

"We need to boost tree planting rates in this country if we are to realise our environmental ambitions and secure Ireland’s world-class timber supply for many years to come.”

In accepting his new role, Sheeran said he has "strong hopes for the continued expansion of the forest products sector".

“Ireland enjoys key competitive advantages - particularly our ability to grow fast-growing conifers and access large markets in the UK and continental Europe with high-quality, competitively-priced timber products," he said.

“I’m also passionate about ensuring the sector fully embraces its environmental and climate-related potential.

"Forestry and timber products are essential components of Ireland’s growing bioeconomy and make a major contribution to achieving our climate action goals.”