I thank members for the opportunity to address the committee. My objective is that Ireland should have a responsible natural timber procurement policy. The reasons for my concern in this regard are graphically illustrated in the documents provided to the committee. Members may have noticed the large slab of mahogany behind me. I found it in a dump in Tullamore 25 years ago and it is worth €200. We have become very wasteful. Being a furniture-maker, I realised what this slab of wood was when I brought it home. It was clear to me that such practices could not continue. This mahogany came from a 300 year old tree, planted in approximately 1700. It functioned as an item of furniture for a long period, before somebody decided it would make an excellent mortar board on which to mix concrete.
I founded Just Forests in 1989 to highlight this issue. As populations increase and resources dwindle, no country can afford to dump its forests into landfill. Like the glass of water before me, forests support and sustain life. It is vital that we protect our resources. The committee is in a powerful position to take action in this regard. As the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Peter Power, stated in last weekend's Sunday Business Post, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has an important role to play in contributing to global sustainability and the protection of resources.
I have brought several wood samples with me that represent the backbone of the Irish furniture and joinery trade, which employs thousands of people. These two particular species are almost commercially extinct. This one is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES. We can no longer trade in it because we have not managed the resource. If one looks at any hoarding in Dublin, Tullamore, Mullingar or elsewhere, one will find it is made with this Chinese plywood. I have had these samples analysed in the University of Hamburg. They all contain species of tropical hardwood that are illegally logged or in serious decline.
Before me too is a sample of a material that will do the same job. It is made in Waterford from sustainably managed forests in the State. This sector provides employment to thousands of people. Currently, they are all on a go-slow for several reasons, one of which is the flood of cheap Chinese plywood being used by Irish construction companies and Departments. As outlined in the booklet, several local authorities are using it. Even the EU's offices are using it. I took pictures of that.
Four mills in Ireland make the material from the thinnings of Irish forests and provides jobs for farmers and many others. It does the same job as the Chinese plywood. While I am not saying we should not trade internationally or import, we should ensure that whatever we import comes from sustainable sources. Otherwise, the quality of jobs will be undercut in Ireland and in developing countries that are trying to do it right.
These wood samples are a graphic illustration of what I am trying to say. We urgently need a timber policy that must, through legislation, filter down to all Departments and local authorities. We have drawn up a good policy for Offaly County Council, which we would like to be used as an example for other local authorities.
The issue is serious, as the global population is increasing at a considerable rate. There are 6.3 billion people now, but there will be approximately 9 billion in 15 years time. With dwindling resources, there will be a significant pressure on natural resources, which are the basis of economic development. We cannot work without them. Honduran mahogany came from Central America 300 years ago, was in someone's sitting room as a nice table and ended up in a dump in Tullamore. This situation cannot continue. It is not common sense and does no one any good. Everything I want to say is contained in the small and large documents. I will take members' questions.