Mr. Gerard Murphy:

We are still doing aerial reconnaissance and do not have an absolutely accurate estimate at this stage. We estimate that between 4,500 and 5,000 ha of forest have been damaged, mainly in the southern part of the country. We also estimate that there is probably 1,500 to 2,000 ha of private forest down, mainly in the western package. The material that came out was planted in 1995 and onwards. Our estimate of the total volume damaged in our estate is approximately 1 million cu. m, which is less than half of an annual cut. While the damage is very serious, we can manage it. We had storms before, in 1997 and 1998, and while they caused significant issues, it was a matter of trying to manage the supply to our customers while protecting potential future supply. Unfortunately, many of the crops damaged were close to the age of full production. We are working with the national task force, which is chaired by the Minister responsible for forestry. We are trying to obtain more accurate figures on the damage.