Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1986 > Committee on Public Expenditure > Report No. 21 - A review of state expenditure on The Forest and Wildlife Service

Appendix (vi)

19 June, 1986

Comments from IIRS to Dail Committee on Public Expenditure

Subject: IIRS work for Forest and Wildlife Service

IIRS have for the past twenty years undertaken, on contract from the FWS, a series of promotion/research studies. The contract is reviewed annually and monitored approximately every four months by a committee comprising of representatives from FWS and IIRS.

The overall objective of the IIRS work programme is the substitution of Irish timber for imported timber where appropriate. The promotion/ research studies have concentrated, for some years, on building up a ‘data-bank’ on the physical and mechanical properties of a representative sample of timber grown throughout Ireland. This provides the necessary vital data required for developing the appropriate standards/specifications for the exploitation of Irish timber.

Currently, IIRS have almost completed the development of a full range of timber standards. Together with the formal research studies, IIRS have been conducting a series of promotional activities which have been very effective to date. These activities which have been aimed at the

(a)sawmills

(b)merchants/distributors

(c)architects, engineers and specifiers

involve the following:

(i)Formal Quality Control Schemes on the use of timber.

(ii)Publication and dissemination of Information Sheets on the most common topics.

(iii)Seminars, workshops.

(iv)Advice/consultancy.

May we refer the Committee to the Review Group on Forestry Report to the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, November 1985, which comments upon the IIRS activity in this area.