Michael-Healy-Rae-and-forestry-1200x667 Forestry owners severely impacted by Storm Éowyn — Michael Healy-Rae has issued a call to Irish forestry owners.

The Irish Government is urging forest owners affected by Storms Darragh and Éowyn to progress their applications for a felling licence.

Minister of State for Forestry, Horticulture and Farm Safety, Michael Healy-Rae confirmed that 63% of affected forests have licences in place already, with another 11% in the system prioritised for processing.

Storm Éowyn on January 24th destroyed 23,625 hectares of forestry, leading to €500million in losses for commercial timber companies.

Insurance payments as a result of the damage caused by the storm are likely to be the highest on record, surpassing €300million.

“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,” explained Minister Healy-Rae.

He added, “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.”

“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 their Edenderry plant,” he concluded.

Éowyn was the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 storm seasion after it was named by the KNMI, UK Met Office and Met Éireann.

It was the most powerful and severe to hit Ireland since Hurricane Debbie in 1961, with wind speeds at Mace Head in County Galway breaking an 80-year-old record for the country.