Ireland’s Timber Industry Seeks Government Support Following Wind Storm Damage

The Irish timber industry is seeking government support to evaluate, harvest, and replant large volumes of woodland nationwide following the “catastrophic” damage caused by Storm Éowyn, Business Post reported (2-17-25).

Donal Whelan, technical director of the Irish Timber Growers Association, told the Business Post the storm damage of recent weeks was “posing huge challenges to timber growers.” He also stated that the industry required grants to assist in replanting the vast areas that have been felled by extreme winds across the country, while snapped wood needed to be utilized efficiently before it rots and degrades into lower-quality timber. “We’re also saying to people not to panic in relation to the harvest. Safe assessments are the most important thing at the outset,” Whelan said.

Whelan welcomed a recent announcement that the government would conduct a national assessment of the wind-damaged woodland areas using satellite imagery. The country has around 23,000 forest owners, and the state through Coillte remains the largest player in the market. The annual “cut,” which refers to the volume of trees felled for timber, was approximately 4.2 million tons in 2023, with a value exceeding €214 million.

Whelan said that timber blown by storms degrades more quickly than others, depending on whether it still has root systems in the ground. The degree of wood degradation will determine its suitability for high-value markets, such as construction, or lower-value markets, like pulp.

“If it’s our annual cut that’s on the ground, that can be managed because we do have the capacity to harvest it, but we need to plan in cooperation with the State, Coillte and the private sector so as to use the wood in an efficient manner,” he said.

The Irish government has convened a “forest windblow taskforce” to try coordinate the response for the sector, led by Martin Heydon, the minister for agriculture, and Michael Healy Rae, the minister of state for forestry.

Speaking after the latest taskforce meeting earlier this month, Healy Rae said a satellite imagery assessment would be completed shortly, and that acceleration of felling licenses would be examined.

“While it is important that we look at all options to deal with expediting the licensing process it is clear that there is an area of windblown forests already covered by a felling license and it is important now that, in as far as possible, the harvesting capacity is mobilized into these areas,” he said.