The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in collaboration with the Society of Irish Foresters are hosting this Conference during the Irish EU Presidency which will focus attention on the role of forests and forest products in the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
The Conference will take place at Coillte Forest Park, Avondale, County Wicklow, on 6th November 2026.
The Conference Programme is below. A panel of expert speakers will discuss topics such as the climate change challenge, strategy, adaptation and mitigation.
Our conference is targeted at a wide audience from policy makers to foresters, to all those with an interest in the interactions between forests and the climate.
The conference will be a ticket-only event, tickets will be €80 per person, which includes tea, lunch, conference booklet and parking.
Please use this Eventbrite Link to buy your ticket for the Conference.
Conference Programme
- 09.30 – Opening by Minister for Forestry, Mr. Niall Collins TD
- 10:00 – A vision and prospectus for forests in the context of climate change – Mr. Fergal Mulloy, Society of Irish Foresters
- 10:30 – Climate change a global challenge and national challenge – Mr. Alex White SC, Chairman, Climate Change Advisory Council
- 11:00 – EU Engagement: Lessons from Finland – Dr. Cormac O Carroll, Senior Advisor/Partner, Forest Sector Advisors, Salzburg, Austria
- 11:30 – Coffee/tea break
- 12:00 – Irelands Forest Strategy – a renewed vision, supporting EU and International policy commitments – Mr. Fergus Moore, Head of Forest Sector Development Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- 12:30 – Addressing climate change prerogatives in a commercial forest enterprise – Mr. Liam Malone, Environment, Social & Governance Director, Coillte
- 13.00 – Lunch break to reassemble at 14.00
- 14.00 – Adapting to climate change: species, provenances and mixed forests – Dr. Niall Farrelly, Senior Forestry Research Officer, at Teagasc
- 14.30 – Forests for Wood: unlocking the potential of Irish timber for a low-carbon future – Mr. Des O’Toole, Marketing & Communications Director at Forest Industries Ireland
- 15.00 – Concluding remarks – Mr. Eugene Griffin, President of the Society of Irish Foresters
- 15.30 Finish
