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Mr. Tony Killeen, T.D, Minister of State at the Department
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with responsibility for
forestry opened a conference on 'The Role of Site Classification
in Forest Productivity and Management'.
The Conference, which was organised jointly by COFORD and
Teagasc, was held in the Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore,
Co. Offaly.
Referring to the investment by the State and landowners in
forestry, Minister of State Killeen commented - "Making
sure that the new forests we are planting in Ireland are well
adapted to the sites on which they are established, is fundamental
to ensuring that all of this investment is good value for
money."
He complimented both bodies on the organisation of
a comprehensive programme for the conference - which included
presentations by a number of eminent scientists in the area
of site classification in Ireland and abroad.
The Minister of State added - "This
conference today will provide an insight, not only into how
site factors impact on forests, but also the ways that forest
research - funded at the national level by my Department through
COFORD and carried out by UCD, Teagasc and Coillte - is coming
up with practical solutions to address these issues on the
ground."
Minister of State Killeen commented that he looked forward
to meeting and working with all of the stakeholders in the
forestry sector and concluded by acknowledging the contribution
of his predecessor - Ms. Mary Wallace TD - and wished her
well with her new portfolio.
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