Forest clean-up after Storm Éowyn `not moving fast enough'
Storm Éowyn
, but one industry group says work on the clear-up is not moving fast enough.
Forestry was one of the worst hit industries when the record-breaking storm struck in January.
The winds floored 26,000 hectares, almost three years' harvest, of mostly mature trees, sparking calls for measures to collect and sell the timber.
More than 80 per cent of timber-harvesting machinery here is now working on storm-hit forests, according to a spokesman for
Michael Healy-Rae
, Minister of State at the
Department of Agriculture
.
READ MORE
Paddy Bruton, of industry group Social Economic and Environmental Forestry Association, and Mark McCauley, director of Ibec affiliate Forest Industries Ireland, which represents growers and sawmills, both confirmed this figure.
However, Derek McCabe, chairman of industry group Irish Forest Owners, estimated that just 2 per cent of storm-felled timber had been recovered by last week.
He acknowledged that most machines were engaged on sites hit by the storm, but maintained that they were harvesting standing trees as well as those knocked over by the storm.
'There's up to €800 million of our timber on the ground, that's a huge loss to the country and to the economy,' he said.
His group represents private forest owners, many of whom originally planted trees on their properties several decades ago.
However, the Minister's spokesman and Mr Bruton said that Mr McCabe's 'maths simply do not add up'.
Mr Bruton noted that his business, Euroforest Ireland, alone had recovered about 2 per cent of the timber knocked over by Storm Éowyn.
Mr Healy-Rae's spokesman pointed out that the Minister had streamlined licensing regulations to speed up collection.
Along with that he prioritised certification that would allow timber to be exported, including to markets not previously tapped by the Irish industry.
The Minister established an industry taskforce soon after the storm whose members include representatives of Irish Forestry Owners.
State company
Coillte
owns 14,500 hectares of the 26,000 that Storm Éowyn damaged. The rest belongs to private landowners, including those represented by Mr McCabe.
Coillte said it had made 'significant progress' in recovering its storm-damaged forests.
The company has about 18 months to two years to salvage windblown timber.
'Coillte is on target to have all windblown forests recovered by end 2026 and replanted by 2027,' it said.
The State company cautioned that there was a shortage of drivers to transport the harvested timber, but added it was working on tackling this.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
6 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taoiseach welcomes trade deal between EU and US
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has welcomed a deal between the European Union and the United States, which will see a 15% tariff on most EU imports to the US. The deal was reached during a meeting between Donald Trump and the president of the European Commission on Sunday. The US president met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to hammer out the final details on the trading relationship between Europe and the US. Reacting to the deal, Mr Martin said the agreement was very welcome. 'It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world,' the Fianna Fail leader said. 'That is good for businesses, investors and consumers. It will help protect many jobs in Ireland. 'The negotiations to get us to this point have been long and complex, and I would like to thank both teams for their patient work. 'We will now study the detail of what has been agreed, including its implications for businesses exporting from Ireland to the US, and for different sectors operating here. 'The agreement is a framework and there will be more detail to be fleshed out in the weeks and months ahead.' Mr Martin said the higher tariffs will have an impact on trade between the EU and the US, which will make it more expensive and more challenging. US President Donald Trump enjoyed a round of golf before his meeting with Ursula von der Leyen 'However, it also creates a new era of stability that can hopefully contribute to a growing and deepening relationship between the EU and the US, which is important not just for the EU and the US, but for the global economy,' he added. 'Given the very real risk that existed for escalation and for the imposition of punitively high tariffs, this news will be welcomed by many.' The deal was also welcomed by deputy Irish premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris, who said it brings clarity to businesses. 'While we have yet to see the detail, I welcome that an agreement has been announced by Commission President von der Leyen and US President Trump,' Mr Harris said in a statement. 'A deal provides a measure of much-needed certainty for Irish, European and American businesses who together represent the most integrated trading relationship in the world. Ireland makes a key contribution to this with the Ireland-US economic relationship valued at more than one trillion euros. 'The US had made clear, and this has been replicated in other recent agreements, which the US has reached with other countries, that a baseline tariff was always going to be part of the outcome. 'I have always stressed that tariffs are damaging and will have a negative impact on companies exporting to the US. 'While Ireland regrets that the baseline tariff of 15% is included in the agreement, it is important that we now have more certainty on the foundations for the EU-US trade relationship, which is essential for jobs, growth and investment. 'President von der Leyen described this as 15% tariffs across the board, all-inclusive.' He said further detail is needed around pharma, aviation and other sectors. Mr Harris said he will examine the details of the agreement over the coming days to establish the effect on Irish businesses and the economy. Earlier, EU commissioner Michael McGrath said the meeting was a 'significant and decisive moment'. Mr McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, said it would involve substantive negotiations between both sides. 'It's a significant moment, we hope a decisive moment, and it builds on an enormous amount of work that has been done over quite a period of time,' Mr McGrath said ahead of the meeting. 'President Trump invited President von der Leyen to Scotland for a meeting. 'This follows on the back of intensive negotiations over a number of months. He added: 'It is not a case of turning up and signing on the dotted line. There will be a real discussion that will happen, and it will take on a dynamic of its own, and let's see what happens over the course of the afternoon. 'But from the EU's point of view, we are determined to do all that we can to get a deal for European businesses, because we recognise the cost of uncertainty. 'It manifests in trade and in investment decisions and ultimately in employment and of course tariffs can cost consumers at the end of the day. 'We want a good deal. We have negotiated hard, and we're at a point now where hopefully the two leaders can today bring it to a concluding phase.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Times
6 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the EU/US trade deal: a step towards economic stability
The agreement of an outline trade deal between the EU and the US is positive, to the extent that it avoids the risk of a full-scale tariffs war between the two sides. For Ireland, the EU state most exposed to US trade and investment, this could have been particularly damaging. What the EU has been dealing with here is damage limitation. Average tariffs of 15 per cent on EU imports into the US - a central part of the deal - are roughly three times the rate that applied when Donald Trump came to office. This will cause economic damage on both sides of the Atlantic. Whatever Trump's objections are to the way the EU treats US imports, dealing with them this way ensures US consumers will pay more for their goods, as well as damaging Europe. Trump is claiming the deal, which also includes promises of EU purchases of US energy and military equipment, as a triumph. And he did get a lot of what he wanted. Perhaps driven in large part by the desire to see continued US support for Nato and Ukraine, the EU has been on the back foot. It has been faced by a US president pursuing a relentless tariff agenda, partly driven by economic nationalism and partly by the need to raise cash for the US exchequer. The main gain for the EU – and for Ireland - of the outline deal is that it avoids the risk of a trade war, which would have had unpredictable and dangerous consequences. Trump had threatened a general tariff level of 30 per cent to apply from next week on EU imports and, had there not been a deal, the EU had a list of US goods ready on which it planned to impose tariffs. This could have escalated quickly, potentially drawing in US digital tech companies, many with international bases in Ireland. READ MORE Details have still to be spelled out on how the 15 per cent tariffs will be applied and these will be important. The impact will vary across different sectors of exporters from Ireland to the US and will be difficult in some areas. It may be some weeks before this is clear. Importantly for Ireland, Trump has said a separate process examining what should happen to the pharma sector will continue and he again underlined that he wanted key drugs and ingredients made in the US. While there was some uncertainty on this in the immediate wake of the deal, the risk of higher tariffs in this area, or other action to try to get pharma companies to relocate production to the US, appears to remain. And while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that in general the deal would bring 'stability', the final details have still to be agreed and published. With Trump in office, uncertainty will remain. However, it is still better to have a basic deal which, provided it holds, will now start to restore some level of certainty to trade between the US and EU.
Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Irish Times
EU-US deal good for Ireland as it averts trade war for now and gives businesses vital sense of certainty
The agreement of an outline trade deal between the EU and the US has one main advantage – it avoids an imminent tariffs war between the two sides which could have got nasty. US president Donald Trump had threatened 30 per cent tariffs on EU imports from August 1st and the EU had drawn up a list of US goods on which it would impose tariffs of its own. This could have developed into a tit-for-tat battle. Now, the gunfight is off and the trade weapons are back in their holsters, at least for a while. Ireland relies heavily on US investment and trade and stood to be particularly exposed if a trade war broke out. Such a scenario could risk drawing big digital tech companies with large operations here into the fallout. READ MORE Peace has broken out, but Trump's unpredictable nature means dangers and uncertainties lie ahead. Businesses in most sectors will, for now at least, know what they are dealing with and that has a value it itself, as doubt had started to damage investment. What about the terms of the deal? The 15 per cent tariff is well above the average of just under 5 per cent which applied on all EU imports to the US before Trump came to office. However, Irish businesses have been faced with a range of different tariff levels and much will depend on the small print of what was agreed. It is worth remembering that Trump imposed 10 per cent tariffs on top of existing ones after 'Liberation Day' and these remain in place. So, Irish companies will be calculating how the 15 per cent compares to the current position – and also to what applied before Trump came to power. Indications on Sunday night were that the 15 per cent would be 'all-inclusive' rather than adding to pre-existing tariffs. If that is the case, it would be welcome. While no details have been circulated, the EU said there would be 'zero for zero' deals discussed in some areas. Drinks or agri-food could be in the frame here, which would be positive for Ireland. One sector which is vital to Ireland is the pharma sector and there was some confusion as to how it would be affected. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this would be covered by the 15 per cent cap on reciprocal tariffs. However, the Trump administration is examining key sectors like pharma and semiconductors – seen as vital to national security – under a separate process known as the section 232 studies. It may be possible that higher tariffs on EU pharma exports to the US could yet emerge from this. Trump spoke again on Sunday about his determination to bring pharma investment back home for security reasons. And he has spoken before about the possibility of using tariffs to achieve this. Other policy options would also be open to Trump to try to get pharma firms to relocate away from countries like Ireland. The generally better mood between the EU and US may help in areas like this, but dangers remain for Ireland. In the wider picture, Trump is building in baseline tariffs of 15 per cent for many countries, with his key goal being to raise revenue for the US exchequer. But this will hit those who rely on imports into the US, too, affecting businesses and consumers and pushing up inflation. That is the price of tariffs. For now, though, Trump is happy for the US to pay it.
