The Forest Service Northern Ireland is an executive agency of the

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA; initials pronounced as 'Dare-aa') ( Irish: ''An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe''; Ulster Scots: ''Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Mat ...

entrusted with the development of

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and the management of

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It was created on 1 April 1998. The Service supplies timber, protects and regenerates forests, provides public access, and works with private industry to enable renewable energy generation. It also oversees compliance with forestry legislation.

Activities

The Forest Service was created on 1 April 1998. The Forest Service holds headquarters at Inishkeen House in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

and forest offices in

Castlewellan Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve ...

and Garvagh, and a plant health inspection facility at Belfast airport. It manages 62,000 hectares of forest and employs 205 people. As of 2025, the chief executive is John Joe O’Boyle. The Forest Service activities involve management of the department's forests, including supplying timber, protecting forests, promoting public access and ensuring sustainable management. They are required to audit their sustainable management independently against the UK Woodland Assurance Standard. Their annual harvest is 400,000 m3. The service is required to operate a Rural Development Programme to promote forest expansion, but also to release land from forestry for renewable energy generation and the improvement of the environment. The Forest Service is the regulatory body for compliance with forestry legislation. In March 2025 the Service announced a Wind Energy Market Engagement for the purpose of providing renewable energy.

References

;Inline ;Other * {{Authority control Northern Ireland Executive Forestry agencies in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Belfast Rural society in the United Kingdom 1998 establishments in Northern Ireland Forests and woodlands of Northern Ireland Forestry in Ireland