Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Sheahan for raising this matter. The Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, is, unfortunately, unable to attend for which he send his apologies.

It is important to clarify what services are available to those affected and to set out what actions have been taken to date by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with regard to the damage caused by the February storm. Wind blow is not a new phenomenon to forestry and is one of the biggest problems facing plantations in this country. The risk of wind blow is influenced by soil type, height of the trees and altitude. Thinning, however, greatly increases the likelihood of wind blow. On certain more vulnerable soil types, such as those which are located in exposed high altitude sites, thinning will increase the risk of wind blow by up to 80%. It is accepted practice in some locations not to thin forests at all. Plantations are at risk of becoming unstable after thinning, as removing some of the crop removes the wind firm edge of the forest, making the plantation more vulnerable to being blown over.

The scale of the wind blow in the February storms was certainly unexpected. However, if we cast our minds back to the high winds and heavy rain we all experienced over the Christmas and into the new year, it would seem the winds of 12 February were the last straw for many forests. While the extent of the damage is estimated to be less than 1% nationally, the damage is extensive at local level. The south and parts of the midlands in particular have experienced significant damage where substantial quantities of timber have been blown over and entire forests in some cases have been completely levelled.

It is important that forest owners realise, however, that although their forests have suffered wind blow damage, there may well be significant value still to be realised from the plantation. Also owners must take care to make the right decision in keeping those trees that remain standing or to clearfell the entire site. This is not the time, therefore, to rush into making decisions on what to do next. Instead, private forest owners should consult with forestry professionals either in Teagasc or with their local professional forester who can help them take the right course of action.

A qualified forestry professional will meet owners on the ground and most importantly advise on health and safety issues when it comes to accessing the plantation and recovering the timber. It is also important for owners to look into the possibility of co-operating with adjacent forest owners. Lower recovery costs can be achieved and higher prices offered where forest owners achieve economies of scale by working together.
Events have also been organised by Teagasc and the Irish Timber Growers Association in conjunction with Coillte on wind-blow plantations. I believe the first of these happened in Kilkenny last week on 8 April attended by 200 people. Other events were organised in Castleisland in County Kerry and I know there was a significant amount of damage in north County Kerry and west County Limerick.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine is facilitating those wishing to apply for felling licences to deal with the situation in the most appropriate manner. In this regard the Department has asked forest owners to make their applications at the time of storm damage to allow it to be prioritised by the Department. While direct funding is not being provided at present to those whose forests were destroyed in the storm, a task force chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, has been established to assess the damage nationally and to quickly identify the various issues arising as a result of this serious wind-blow event and to agree on a course of action to deal with these issues. The assessment of the damage will be carried out by Coillte staff. The forest industry, Coillte, the IFA and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine have all committed to jointly fund this assessment using high-resolution satellite imagery. The result of this assessment will give accurate maps of damaged areas and allow the Department to review all policies on wind blow.
The task force has issued a guidance note for forest owners laying down the steps to consider in safely harvesting and selling the fallen trees and giving advice on a range of other associated issues. The guidance note is also published on the Department's website. The Department also has set up a dedicated e-mail address, wind-blow@agriculture.gov.ie, for any queries on the issue. Any forestry premium payments that have not yet been paid for 2014 will be paid even if these forests have been affected by this wind-blow event.