Coillte, the Irish Forestry Board, is a State-owned company operating in forestry, land-based businesses and added-value processing operations. The company was established in 1988 as a private limited company under the Forestry Act 1988, which sets out its objectives and duties. Coillte is owned by the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Agriculture and Food. Coillte is a commercially-successful business and in 2004, it had a turnover of €185 million and a profit of €35.5 million. All of these profits were re-invested in the business.

Coillte's estate comprises 445,000 hectares of forest land (approximately 7% land cover in Ireland) of which 79% is forested. 43 species of trees grow in Coillte's forests, the main one being Sitka spruce (52%). Other conifers account for 22% of the forests planted, while 5% of Coillte's forests are broadleaves.

There is a strong emphasis placed on achieving a balance between commercial, environmental and social objectives in managing Coillte's forests, and Coillte implements a programme of excellence when it comes to forest stewardship. This was recognised by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) who certified Coillte's forests as being well-managed in May 2001. Coillte's forest management has been audited annually since then to ensure compliance with the FSC principles and criteria for good forest management.

For more information on Coillte please log on to http://www.coillte.ie