More than £2.7 million has been received from plantation timber sales over the last three financial years, the House of Keys has been told.

Responding to a question from Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse, the Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber outlined the income generated from plantation wood as part of the island's forestry programme.

The minister said the department received £793,226 in 2023-24, £766,669 in 2024-25 and £1,231,512 in 2025-26, while a further £160,727 has been received so far during the current financial year.

The minister noted that the figures represented total income from plantation wood and did not include operational costs associated with the sawmill or wider tree management activities.

Explaining a dip in revenue during 2024-25, the minister said it was largely due to the timing of payments, with around £40,000 carried forward into the following financial year.

In a supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse asked how much of the timber income had been spent on consultation work, administration and preparation for forestry operations, and how much remained available for replanting.

‘With regard to the exported timber, the timber was sold standing, meaning that all harvesting, extraction and transportation costs were the responsibility of the contractor rather than the department,’ Mrs Barber responded.

‘Administrative activity associated with the sale was undertaken as part of the department's usual operations and did not require additional dedicated funding.’

The department is now progressing replanting as part of its long-term forestry strategy, supported by harvesting and replanting plans and the development of a National Plantation Plan, which recently underwent public consultation.

Mrs Barber confirmed that preparations for replanting were already under way and that around 170,000 trees are expected to be planted this year, comprising a mix of broadleaf and conifer species.