MORE than 26,000 hectares of forests in Ireland have been damaged following storms Darragh and Éowyn.
Figures released this week reveal the wind damage sustained to forests across the country following the extreme weather events.
Storm Darragh caused widespread damage to Ireland when it hit in December 2024.
Just a month later, on January 24, Storm Éowyn made landfall, bringing record wind speeds to locations across Ireland.
Recent clear skies across the country have allowed the Department of Agriculture to make a satellite imagery-based assessment of wind-damaged forest areas following the storms.
ESB workes assess Storm damage in Connemara, Co. Galway in January“We were very fortunate that we had a lot of clear skies over recent weeks, which allowed for the high-resolution satellite imagery to become available and be assessed so quickly,” Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae said.
“Following the initial estimates issued by my department in February, I can now confirm that final figures indicate that a total of 26,050 hectares of forests have been impacted,” he added.
“Of this area, 14,500 hectares are in the Coillte estate and 11,550 hectares of private forest areas have suffered wind damage.”
Storms have caused wind damage to 26,000 hectares of forests in IrelandThe Government’s mapping assessment was carried out using imagery acquired from the Sentinel and SkySat satellite constellations.
“It is clear that the first task for forest owners affected by windblow is the safe clearance of sites,” Minister Healy-Rae added.
“The majority of owners can use their existing clearfell and thinning licences to do this work.
“For those who do not have a licence it’s advisable that you apply for it now and mark it as ‘storm-damage’.
“All such applications received will be prioritised and issued as quickly as possible.”
He explained: “Once you have the licence you will still have time to harvest and you should not rush into any decisions but make a step-by-step plan to minimise risk and maximise the salvage value of your trees.
“Most wind-blown forests still have considerable timber value and will retain that value for some time, in particular if the tree is still connected to the roots.”