Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett has today (Monday, October 21) launched two reports from the Timber in Construction Steering Group.

The reports focus on global timber policies and a review of timber in education.

The Timber in Construction Steering Group was established by Minister Hackett to help increase the use of timber in construction whilst ensuring the highest degree of building safety and property protection.

The group, consisting of 16 members and an independent chair, is tasked with examining regulatory and standardisation challenges and how to maximise the use of home-grown timber in construction.

The Timber in Construction Steering Group met for the first time in November 2023, and a total of seven meetings have been held to date.

The two reports published today are titled “Global Policies Influencing the Greater Adoption of Timber in Construction” and “Timber in Construction Academic Survey”.

The first report identifies and summarises key policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks used in other countries influencing the greater adoption of timber in construction.

The document also provides recommendations on the best practice in raising awareness of the benefits of using timber and the importance of long-term carbon storage in the context of climate change.

The second report evaluates the current approach in Ireland to teaching engineers and architects in third level institutions on the use of timber in construction.

Recommendations are provided on the academic supports needed for timber in construction and the growing need to include much more timber content in the core syllabus of third level courses.

Minister Hackett attended the Timber in Construction Steering group meeting today and received updates from the five working groups aimed at increasing the use of timber in construction.

The minister said that further reports will be published by the steering group in the coming months.

"Our excellent timber resource in Ireland can provide the raw material to build with lower embodied carbon, and these reports will help us to devise a roadmap to embrace the use of timber at scale," she said.

Commenting on the reports, Professor J Owen Lewis, chair of the Timber in Construction Steering Group, said:

"The extensive analysis of a diverse range of actions around the world is an excellent baseline to shape timber policies in Ireland, which is patently one of the priorities of the Timber in Construction Steering Group.

"Furthermore, it is evident that to ensure the necessary skills are available to advance timber in construction, long-term multifaceted educational approaches are required with support from industry stakeholders."

Des O’Toole, chair of the Communications Working Group added that the reports will resonate with many people "who recognise the urgent need for a more sustainable built environment to meet our decarbonisation targets".

"Produced on behalf of the Timber in Construction Steering Group, Forest Industries Ireland and Coillte, with backing from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), these reports spotlight the increasing momentum and demand for timber in construction.

"They also emphasise the need for integrating timber-focused content into our construction and engineering curricula, to enable design practitioners to have the competencies to design with timber.

"Embracing timber as a core material in construction offers an essential solution to the pressing challenges we face in the construction sector, society, and our environment. However, we must act swiftly and decisively to secure a sustainable future," he said.