1. Presentation to Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the positive impacts of Coillte on Ireland’s carbon footprint Thursday 3 rd April 2014

2. Coillte has stewardship over 7% of land area of Ireland 1

3. Carbon Sequestration Low Carbon Building Products Renewable Energy Coillte can deploy its natural resources to reduce carbon emissions providing headroom for growth in agriculture 2

4. Forestry and its role in reducing Ireland’s carbon footprint 3

5. Our Forests – Scale of Operations  Sell 2.4 million m 3 of roundwood  Reforest 6,000ha using 15 million trees each year  Maintain 9,500kms of forest roads  Receive 18 million recreational visits to our forests per year  Manage 20% of our estate to protect and enhance biodiversity  Certified by FSC  Seeking PEFC & ISO14001 certification in 2014  Our BAUs work with approx 460 individual contractors employing circa 1300 people across the country 4

6. Our Forests - Strategy 2018 Being more efficient Being smarter at what we do Building on the customer experience Creating awareness and recognition for public goods Unlocking the potential of private timber Increased Forest Value 5

7. Our Forests - Role in Carbon agenda Carbon Sequestration Forest Area Expansion Increased Productivity SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN FSC Certification Contractor Base Energy wood SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN FSC Certification Contractor Base Energy wood LOW CARBON BUILDING PRODUCTS Sawn wood SmartPly OSB Medite MDF LOW CARBON BUILDING PRODUCTS Sawn wood SmartPly OSB Medite MDF Carbon mitigation measures PLANTING FORESTS 15 million trees per year Management services PLANTING FORESTS 15 million trees per year Management services INCREASED FOREST PRODUCTIVITY Species Silviculture FRM INCREASED FOREST PRODUCTIVITY Species Silviculture FRM 6

8. Our Forests – Thinking Green  Independent research has evaluated the economic impact of Public Goods Coillte provides:  Nature conservation and biodiversity - €322m per annum *  Cultural Heritage - €92m per annum *  Landscape protection – €96m per annum *  Recreation – €97m per annum  Generating €270m of economic activity in local communities * Source – Valuation of the public goods – landscape, habitats and species, and cultural heritage – provided by the Coillte Estate – Goodbody Economic Consultants 7

9. Other contributions to reducing Ireland’s carbon footprint from the Coillte estate 8

10. Managing land to add value Coillte manages two great assets - forests & land Our objective as stewards of the land is to look for other benefits the land can provide, where it is not suitable for forestry These uses include renewable energy, biomass, telecoms mast sites and infrastructure projects 9

11. Land – A Key Natural Resource -6,000 Discrete Properties -Valuable Attributes 10

12. Why Renewables?  2009 EU Renewables Directive  Dependence on imported fossil fuels  Climate change  Economics 11

13. Renewable Energy – Our Role to Date -Renewables = 2,000MW -Renewables @ 20% -Coillte enabled 40% -Areas we are involved: -Windfarms -Connections -ESB Networks -Eirgrid 12

14. Renewable Energy - Our Future Role  Develop our own 500MW portfolio in conjunction with our partner  Support others in delivery of projects and infrastructure in support of Ireland’s RES-E ambition  Provide leadership in relation to community engagement and community gain  Support the concept of an export project for renewable energy, in line with Government policy  Provide advocacy for maximum deployment of wind energy solutions in a macro economic context 13

15. Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source 14

16. Ireland RES-H Progress  Current level = 5.2%  Target = 12%  An incentive mechanism can provide the solution  Solution = A Renewable Heat Incentive  A payment system for the generation of heat from renewable energy sources, similar to a REFIT scheme for electricity. 15

17. Benefits of a Renewable Heat Incentive  Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions  Help offset emissions in other sectors e.g. agriculture  Improve competitiveness of industry  Stimulate rural development and employment  Provide a market for the private timber resource  Reduce level of future fines 16

18. Case Study : Astellas Ireland Ltd. Co. Kerry 17

19. Land – Adding Value, Benefiting Many 18

20. In conclusion….  By deploying our natural resource assets we can deliver:  increased carbon sequestration from our forests;  low carbon energy efficient building products;  confidence for landowners who wish to plant new land that an efficient supply chain is in place;  renewable energy from wind and biomass. 19

21. In conclusion….  Recommendations which could further enhance our ability to contribute:  a Renewable Heat Incentive to encourage the growth of bioenergy;  clear signal of the Government’s ambition for wind energy post 2020 (both domestic and export);  recognition for the provision of valuable public goods.  Thank you for your attention 20