Healy-Rae urges forest owners hit by storms to apply for licences
Minister of State with responsibility for forestry Michael Healy-Rae has urged those remaining forest owners affected by the recent storms who are without a felling or road licence to progress their applications for a licence.
The minister was speaking after the fourth meeting of the Forest Windblow Taskforce this week, which heard that over 63% of affected forests have licences in place already, with another 11% in the system that are "prioritised for processing".
After the meeting, Minister Healy-Rae said: "I would urge those remaining 25% of affected forest owners to engage with their foresters and submit a licence application to my department, where they will be given a prioritised status through the system.
"We can't give a licence to someone who hasn't applied.
"This will facilitate forest owners to prepare to sell their timber and allow for further planning around harvesting and mobilising resources." he added.
The Forest Windblow Taskforce continued its discussions on the response to Storm Éowyn and Storm Darragh, and is, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, seeking to deliver a co-ordinated and rapid response to the storm damage, by encouraging collaboration across the sector.
The minister also welcomed the contribution of the Irish Road Hauliers Association (IRHA), contractors, and Bord na Móna.
"I want to acknowledge the efforts of all of the taskforce members to date, in particular the open engagement on capacity, and also welcome Bord na Móna's commitment to purchasing even more Irish material for its Edenderry plant," Minister Healy-Rae said.
The Forest Windblow Taskforce which has estimated that 24,000ha of windblow damage occurred as a result of Storm Éowyn – more than twice the annual forestry cut.
There is an approximately even split between public and private forests. It is estimated that around 10 million cubic metres of timber has been affected, predominantly in spruce plantations older than 20 years of age.
“We now have an approximation of the damage done, and the focus must be on ensuring the sector has the capacity to manage this crisis,” Minister Healy-Rae had said after the third meeting of the taskforce in late February.
