The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has issued a new circular today (Wednesday, February 19) which confirms that existing felling licences may be used to clear and remove trees damaged by Storms Darragh and Éowyn.

According to DAFM "thin and clearfell licences" may be used to clear and remove trees where the forest plots covered by these licences have windblow damage caused by the recent storms.

DAFM stated: "The existing conditions of the licence shall apply to any cutting, felling and removal of timber, including any timing restrictions in the licence conditions that might apply for the protection of bird species."

According to DAFM forest owners who wish to use their thinning-only felling licences to clear forests that suffered windblow damage from either Storm Darragh or Storm Éowyn can "now complete and submit the notification form in appendix 1" by email to the relevant department.

This appendix requires forest owners to attach a map indicating the area that was windblown and the area that they intend to clear under the thinning licence.

The area to be cleared must not include any part of a plot that was not affected by storm damage.

The department has also advised forestry owners that there is a "replanting obligation" for any cleared area and they have six months in which to submit a replanting proposal within completion of clearing trees impacted by storms.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) today welcomed the clarification on allowing forest owners to use existing felling licences to clear trees damaged by the recent storms.

IFA Farm Forestry chair, Padraig Stapleton, commended the Minister of State for Forestry, Horticulture and Farm Safety, Michael Healy-Rae, on making this decision.

"Professional trained contractors can now clear and remove windblow trees in line with the existing conditions attached to the licences, where safe to do so," Stapleton said.

However he also stressed to forest owners that “the replanting obligation must be adhered to" and to be mindful that DAFM has issued a six-month window whereby all replanting information must be communicated to DAFM.

Meanwhile Minister Healy-Rae has urged forest owners to "put safety first" when tackling the fall out from the recent storms.

"Forest owners should put safety first and not attempt to tackle this work themselves with chainsaws. Trees windblown can be under all sorts of tension and using large harvesting machines is the only safe way of getting this timber out," the minister said.