Key Takeaways
| Issue | Summary |
|---|---|
| New Initiative | Ireland launches the Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation Facility to expand timber use in housing. |
| Goal | Raise timber-frame housing share from 25 % to 80 % by 2050. |
| Pilot Project | 27 age-friendly A1-rated homes in Deansrath built from low-carbon Irish timber. |
| Climate Benefit | Timber can cut embodied carbon in housing by 20 – 60 %. |
| Main Challenges | Regulations, supply-chain capacity, and cultural habits still favour concrete. |
| Sustainability Concern | Most forests are monoculture Sitka spruce – biodiversity reform is essential. |
In October 2025, Minister of State for Forestry Michael Healy-Rae TD announced the creation of a Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation Facility at the Build with Wood conference in Co Wicklow.
The new hub, co-funded by the Departments of Agriculture and Enterprise and coordinated by Enterprise Ireland, will drive research, product development, and training to make timber a core material in Irish housing.
The initiative follows work by the Timber in Construction Steering Group, which represents over 60 organisations from industry, academia, and government. Its newly released report, Market Opportunities for Timber in Construction in Ireland, identifies timber as the country’s most practical route to lower-carbon, faster-built homes.
Why is This a First?
I was genuinely surprised to hear that the Deansrath project in Clondalkin; a project that consists of 27 age-friendly homes to be built from Irish-grown timber, – was described as “the first of its kind.”
Ireland is, after all, a green island full of forests. So I had incorrectly assumed that housing projects like this were commonplace in Ireland.
But after researching further, I realised that the explanation lies in how Irish timber has always been used in construction so far:
| Use | Typical in Ireland? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Roof Trusses & Internal Framing | Very common | Prefabricated but usually imported softwood. |
| Full Structural Timber Systems (walls, floors, panels) | Rare | Still imported CLT or glulam from Austria/Scandinavia. |
| All-Timber, A-Rated homes built with Irish wood | N/A | Deansrath is Ireland’s first project to prove it can be done domestically. |
In short, most Irish “timber houses” are hybrids with concrete foundations with imported wooden shells.
The new policy aims to close the loop: grow, process, and build with our own timber while maintaining A1 Building Energy Ratings (BER).
1. How Does Timber Actually Reduce Carbon Emissions?
Timber’s environmental advantage comes from both biology and logistics.
(a) Carbon Storage
- Trees absorb CO₂ as they grow.
- When turned into beams or panels, that carbon stays locked inside the wood for decades.
- Every cubic metre of timber stores about 1 tonne of CO₂.
- Using timber instead of concrete removes that carbon from circulation for the lifespan of the home.
(b) Lower Embodied Emissions
- Concrete and steel require high-temperature production; major CO₂ emitters.
- Timber only needs sawing and kiln-drying, a fraction of that energy.
- Local sourcing eliminates thousands of transport kilometres.
Replacing concrete with timber can cut a home’s embodied carbon by 20 – 60 % depending on design and supply chain.
2. ‘Sustainability This, Sustainabilty That’– Does Ireland Replant the Trees it Cuts?
Yes; but with a catch.
1. Regulatory Framework
Ireland’s forests operate under Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) principles, certified by FSC and PEFC standards. Replanting after harvest is mandatory, and forest rotations are monitored by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The Catch
About 70 % of Ireland’s forests are Sitka spruce. They grow quickly and provide reliable structural timber, but they’re low in biodiversity. This basically means they have very few different types of plants, animals, or insects living or growing around them.
Ireland’s Forest Strategy 2023–2030 aims for mixed-species planting; Sitka for timber yield combined with native oak, birch, and alder for biodiversity.
| Aspect | Current Position | Future Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Replanting | Required after harvest | Continue under FSC/PEFC |
| Species mix | Mostly Sitka spruce | Move to mixed native & commercial |
| Forest cover | ~11 % of land area | Target 18 % by 2050 |
Without that shift, “sustainability” becomes only a buzzword that is carbon positive on paper but poor in practice.
3. What Lessons Can Ireland Learn from Scotland?
Coillte, Ireland’s state-owned forestry company & responsible for managing the nation’s forests, has set a target to increase Ireland’s timber-frame share from 25% – 80% by 2050.
The aim is to mirror Scotland’s success, where four in five new homes already use timber frames. (Ireland currently sits at 1 out of 4).
Scotland achieved this because:
- Building Codes explicitly support timber (no red tape).
- Local Processing and prefabrication plants are already well established.
- Public Housing routinely uses timber, making it normal for buyers and insurers.
Ireland, meanwhile, still treats timber as an alternative system that needs extra paperwork. The Deansrath pilot and the new facility are steps toward normalising it.
4. Opportunities in Ireland’s Shift to 100% Irish Timber Frame Houses.
| Opportunity | Potential Benefit | Example / Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Faster Builds | Factory-made panels reduce site time by 30–50 %. | Deansrath pilot can show modular timber frame homes can be erected in less time. |
| Lower Carbon | 20–60 % embodied-carbon savings. | Supports national Climate Action Plan. |
| Regional Jobs | Expands sawmill, logistics, and design roles outside cities. | Rural forestry counties gain stable employment. |
| Export Growth | Irish timber-tech systems can enter EU retrofit markets. | Aligns with green-construction demand across Europe. |
5. Challenges & Barriers Still in Place
(a) Supply-Chain Gaps
Only a fraction of Irish-grown softwood meets construction-grade standards. Most CLT used in pilot projects is still imported from Austria or Scandinavia.
- Investment is needed in kiln-drying, grading labs, and CLT panel manufacturing to keep value onshore.
(b) Building Regulations
From what I can tell, Irish Building Regulations (Part A and D) were mainly written for concrete and masonry. Fire and moisture standards need to be rewritten to accommodate engineered timber.
- Without clear code reform, builders will hesitate to take commercial risk on timber.
(c) Insurance & Finance Barriers
Banks and insurers still classify timber or MMC projects as non-standard builds. This increases premiums and mortgage rates.
- A state-backed warranty and certification system could remove this bottleneck (Similar to the NHBC in the UK?).
(d) Cultural Habits
For an Irish buyer, concrete=quality.
- Public-sector demo-projects, like Deansrath, are very important to build public confidence.
6. The Role of the New Timber Knowledge Development & Innovation Facility.
The facility will aim to:
- Standardise testing of Irish-grown timber.
- Develop national design guidance and specifications.
- Support training for architects, engineers, and builders.
- Create an open-data platform tracking carbon savings.
However, the establishment of a Timber Knowledge Facility is only a strategic first step, not a solution. I believe that Ireland’s real test will be in:
- Updating regulations soon, let’s say by 2027.
- Creating a national timber-construction roadmap it can be held accountable for, with clear annual targets.
- Ensuring that sustainable harvesting aligns with biodiversity and forestry goals.
Without those, the new facility will remain a think-tank and a waste of tax-payer money rather than a transformation engine.
12. The Bigger Picture
Timber is not a silver bullet. It will not solve land costs, planning backlogs, or rental inflation. However, it can make social housing delivery faster, cleaner, and more regionally balanced.
Timber construction is not just some fringe new idea. With Ireland’s resources, it is indeed a viable and scalable solution to Ireland’s twin crises of housing and climate (provided the State rallies the willpower to achieve this).
Imagine if:
- The State refurbished thousands of vacant homes using timber retrofit systems.
- Local factories in Leitrim or Clare produced panels for cost-rental estates.
- Apprenticeships in modern wood construction & MMC became standard pathways for young tradespeople.
That’s not fantasy. This is standard practice in Finland, Austria, and Scotland.
Coillte’s pilot project in Deansrath is going to prove extremely vital here. It HAS to succeed for public trust to increase. Unfortunately, faith in modular construction in Ireland has been set back a couple of years, due to very public mismanagement of funds for the construction of modular homes for Ukrainian refugees. MyLittleHome.
Let’s hope that Limerick’s public modular presentation will move the public to regain trust in modular techniques.
If the State does follow through; updating regulations, investing in factories & replanting wisely, timber could become Ireland’s next largest revolution. One that grows from Irish soil, shelters its residents, and takes in more carbon than it gives back to the atmosphere.
