In the Forestry Focus (p43-49), Donal Magner details the challenges facing an industry hit hard by the recent storms. Never before have we seen such devastation in forests.

We have seen some commercial companies jump to the needs of clients.

Regrettably, State-run forest services seemed to have been more reluctant to engage on the ground with organised meetings. Ireland will require help from overseas to harvest the windblown timber and replant.

There is some talk that next week might see some international help in Ireland. Will regulation, licensing and training regulations turn them off? We hope not. Why are we slow to make this happen?

It’s like the LNG gas plant that was granted planning permission this week, but it will probably be a few years before it is built. Germany had moved on a project like this within months of the start of the attacks on Ukraine.

Likewise on forest storm damage, Sweden had contractors from over 15 countries in within weeks after a storm. With the ash dieback scheme, windblown timber and replanting, we have a huge amount of work. Listening to the minister last weekend, he seemed reluctant to commit to a concise financial detail for a reconstitution scheme.

The demise of farmer planting in Ireland was recognised by many long before it became a realisation, as strategy and a strong development agency have remained non-starters.

The fact that there seems to be no willingness to financially underpin a carbon reward scheme by the Department, at least at the start, is not a good look for the forestry sector, when carbon build up is so transparent, compared to the carbon build up below soil level on livestock farms.