Coillte

The company was incorporated in December 1988 and commenced trading in January 1989 when it took over the forestry activities previously carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.{{cite web|url = https://www.coillte.ie/about-us/corporate/ | publisher = Coillte | website = coillte.ie | title = Corporate - About Us | access-date = 8 July 2017 }} Shares are held by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Minister for Finance on behalf of the Irish Government.{{cite web|url = https://search.cro.ie/company/CompanyDetails.aspx?id=138108&type=C | publisher = Companies Registration Office | website =cro.ie | title = Records for company number 138108 (Coillte Cuideachta Ghníomhaíochta Ainmnithe) |access-date = 6 July 2017 }} During 2016, the organisation had an average of 862 employees.{{Cite web|url=http://www.coillte.ie/media/2017/05/Coillte-Annual-Report-Accounts-2016.pdf|title=Coillte Annual Report & Accounts 2016|date=2016|website=coillte.ie|publisher=Coillte|access-date=8 July 2017 }} The Coillte estate is 4,450 square kilometres of which 79% is forest; it manages over 50% of forested land in the country.{{cite web|url = https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/native-trees-cover-just-2-of-ireland-how-can-this-be-increased-1.3553824 | publisher = Irish Times | title = Native trees cover just 2% of Ireland. How can this be increased? | date = 6 July 2018 | access-date = 25 October 2018 | quote = More than half of Ireland’s forest cover (and 7 per cent of land in the State) is owned by Coillte, deft exponents of the dark arts of clear-felling, a practice illegal in Denmark, Switzerland, Slovenia and parts of Germany for its devastating effects on plants, animals, soil and landscapes alike [..] Crann and the Woodland League want Coillte to carry out more diverse planting and continuous coverage forestry, the norm on the European mainland. Coillte has earmarked just 5 per cent of its 445,000 hectares of land for it }}

In its 27 years of operation between 1989 and 2016, Coillte had:

• Grown its forest and land estate from 396,000 hectares to over 440,000 hectares
• Increased operating profits from a loss of €0.4 million to operating profits of €64.9 million (2016)
• Grown turnover from €38.0 million to €287.7 million (2016)
• Increased log sales from 1.5 million cubic metres to 1.6 million cubic metres (2016)

According to the Coillte website, 20% of its estate is managed with biodiversity as the primary objective.{{Cite web|url=http://www.coillte.ie/our-forests/public-goods/biodiversity/|title=Coillte - Forest Biodiversity|publisher=Coillte|website=coillte.ie|access-date=10 July 2017 }} Other entities have however questioned Coillte's commercially focused practices and the amount of land afforded to native species.

In 2011, there was speculation that Coillte could be sold by the Government of Ireland as part of cost-cutting measures.{{cite web |url=http://www.tribune.ie/article/2010/dec/19/bertie-ahern-in-expenses-paid-trip-to-china-for-fo/ |title=Bertie Ahern trip to China for forestry fund |access-date=14 Jan 2011 |archive-date=16 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110116061217/http://www.tribune.ie/article/2010/dec/19/bertie-ahern-in-expenses-paid-trip-to-china-for-fo/ | publisher = Sunday Tribune }}{{cite news|url =http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0722/breaking62.html |title=Semi-State firms to be assessed |access-date=14 Jan 2011 | publisher=The Irish Times |date=7 July 2010 }}{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/talks-will-be-a-charade-if-old-delusions-remain-2098793.html |title=Talks will be a charade if old delusions remain |access-date=14 Jan 2011 | publisher=Irish Independent | date=14 March 2010 }} As of 2011, Coillte was also seeking to calculate the aggregate economic value of its 445,000ha of forest estate.{{cite web|url=http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN196415|title=Evaluation of the Public Goods Value on he Coillte Forest Estate|publisher=eTenders|website=etenders.gov.ie|access-date=9 Feb 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223205953/http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN196415|archive-date=23 February 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

In 2018 the organisation was reportedly criticised for payment and communication issues with some landowners.{{cite web|url = https://www.rte.ie/news/2018/0201/937487-coillte/ | publisher = RTÉ | title = Coillte criticised as landowners left without payments | date = 1 February 2018 | access-date = 25 October 2018 }}

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• {{official|https://www.coillte.ie/}}

Category:Forest products companies of Ireland

Category:State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland