Now that more accurate information is available on the area, volume and ownership of windblown forests, an action plan should be well underway to maximise the value of damaged timber caused by storm Éowyn.

When storm Gudrun blew down Sweden’s forests, harvesting standing sales were suspended within days and overseas harvesters were making their way to help clear the windblown forests, which amounted to one year’s harvest.

Yet six weeks after storm Éowyn, Irish harvesters are still operating in standing sales and not one overseas harvester is operating here to help clear the windblow, which contain four year’s harvest for privately owned forests.

While Minister of State, Michael Healy-Rae and his taskforce have done excellent work in quantifying the volume and area of damaged forests, the implementation of a strategy to harvest and maximise the damage of windblown forests has been absent so far.

The main stakeholders, including the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), forest owners, sawmills, contractors, wood energy outlets can now plan a way out of this disaster. This will require a greater sense of urgency, which three taskforce meetings in eight weeks – the next scheduled for 18 March – does not convey.

While we don’t have an independent forestry development agency designed to tackle this disaster, there are a number of steps that can be taken to maximise the value of our damaged forests and minimise the stress and loss caused to hundreds of forest owners, mainly farmers.

Strategy

The taskforce needs to outline a clear strategy, which includes the appointment of a storm manager and area co-ordinators to cover badly affected counties.

The storm manager, guided by the taskforce, needs to have sufficient authority to implement a viable forest recovery plan, which includes identifying measures that the minister can introduce to ensure the delivery of the strategy. The following are a number of steps that can provide confidence to owners of windblown forests.

  • Emergency felling licences: storm, disease and insect attacks are natural disasters which require practical solutions. Minister Healy-Rae needs to replace felling licences with emergency forest felling permits, which are granted if the forest is adjudged beyond restoration unless all damaged trees are removed as quickly as possible. The permit would require basic information on the damaged crop and conditions, including replanting.

    The damaged area of 23,652h will require some 2,100 licences based on average forest sizes of 8ha in private and 20-25ha in Coillte forests. It is estimated that 40% of these have licences, which means that 1,200 new licences are required. These should be issued within three months, so sales can be assembled over the next year and harvesting cluster groups can be arranged. Based on 20 licences weekly so far this year, at best 240 licences will be issued within this time, so permits are vital.

  • Harvesting: the minister needs to order the immediate suspension of standing sales. Harvesting should take place by Irish and overseas contractors in cluster groups, which will ensure that all windblow is harvested and no forest owner is left behind. To speed up felling, harvesting should concentrate on the blown area rather than felling adjoining standing trees. While it makes sense to harvest all trees in small properties where 90% of trees are damaged, larger lots where 20% of the area is still standing or leaning should be removed at a later date.
  • Timber processing and markets: sawmills, wood based panel (WBP) mills, energy plants – including Bord na Móna – and other outlets have the capacity to increase productivity by 40-50%, while some individual sawmills can double production. Companies exporting logs to UK energy plants and WBP mills can further increase market share, while Bord na Móna can substantially increase both production and storage; and now no longer need to rely on imports.

    The challenge is to sell the additional product to domestic and UK markets, as well as exploring continental outlets.

    “Log markets are fairly strong across much of Europe, such as Sweden, where sawlog prices have doubled over the last few years and by 30% in 2024,” according to Dr Cormac O’Carroll, senior adviser with Dasos Capital. “Consequently, countries such as Sweden and Germany are pushing up sawnwood prices, but this is always a fine balance, as end-user demand and construction remain depressed.”

    Processing mills will need support from Enterprise Ireland in maximising export markets, while the extra transport costs in hauling timber over much longer distances, along with logistic challenges, will need State subvention.

  • Timber measurement: there is suspicion between private forest owners and sawmills about transparency in timber measurement, which unlike the continent uses a volume-weight ratio – m3 converted to tonnes. In Europe, timber volume is measured off the harvester’s computerised head in m3 and paid for by the mills per m3. This means that no matter what weight the timber is, the grower is paid by volume, which can fluctuate widely, depending on how long it dries out in a blown state or stacked at roadside.

    Paying by m3 harvested may not be practicable in the short-term, but if not, then the mills should be open to the same scrutiny as Coillte demands from them. Coillte has solved this problem by monitoring all timber over sawmill weighbridge by a Coillte employee. This system should be made available to private sellers and supported by DAFM and Coillte, who would help train personnel to implement the scheme, which thereafter should be funded by private forest owners.

    A timber sales contract should be in place prior to harvesting to protect the seller, harvester and purchaser. Check the ITGA agreement (itga.ie/services/information/sales-systems) and seek the advice of a professional forester.

  • Information: an information blitz is required from DAFM, Teagasc, forestry organisations, timber processors and forestry companies. Field days where forest owners can see best practice in action with input by the owners themselves, foresters, sawmillers on the measurement, harvest and sale of timber are needed. These sessions should be accompanied by a helpline, because storm damage in addition to the economic cost has major psychological repercussions.

    Existing initiatives should be promoted by DAFM and Teagasc, which provide information such as felling decision tool, roundwood production forecast, windthrow model tool. In addition, private companies such as Euroforest Ireland have been holding information meetings, while Treemetrics Ltd has made satellite mapping analysis data available free of charge to private growers.

  • Timber prices: the taskforce advice to forest owners is not to panic sell. This has to be matched by information and transparency on timber prices. The main partners in timber marketing in Ireland are private forest owners, contractors, sawmills and Coillte. All of these have up-to-date price information at their fingertips, except forest owners and contractors. This can be rectified by producing up-to-date timber price data by updating the Wood Price Quarterly (WPQ) survey, which would feature price information from private and Coillte sales. These are just a few steps that are required to ensure forest owners receive a fair price for their windblown timber. Most logs harvested in a windblown forest have the same value at roadside as a conventional harvest, but need to be removed as quickly and safely as possible before degrade sets in.

    • In brief

  • Urgent need for windlblow strategy and appointment of forest storm manager.
  • 1,200 felling permit approvals needed by June.
  • Harvesting by Irish and overseas operators in cluster groups.
  • Fair and transparent timber measurement for private sales.
  • Information blitz, including helpline.
  • Price information needed.