Seven weeks after Storm Éowyn brought down unprecedented numbers of trees, amenity forests are working flat out to make sure the public can safely return.
This weekend Lough Key Forest Park in Co Roscommon will welcome back campers for the first time since storms Darragh in December and Éowyn in January damaged several areas of the park.
"The hedge line at the back of the caravan and camping area was completely decimated," said Dermot Beggan General Manager at Lough Key, recalling the scene after Éowyn swept through.
Mr Beggan and his team started work immediately with an examination of the destruction, a joint venture between Coillte and Roscommon County Council.
"Some of the damage was obvious, some was not so obvious," he said adding that the two storms had wrecked the breakwater at the marina on Lough Key.
The unique canopy walk - an elevated walkway through the forest - also suffered damage when a red cedar tree fell and hit it.
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"We are having it structurally assessed," said Mr Beggan who hopes it can reopen safely to walkers soon.
"I never saw anything like the damage," said David Frazer who heads the Lough Key maintenance team.
The small team of six have worked for weeks to bring the park back to almost full use.
"We had to bring in big machines, and a chipper," he said, to work with the huge number of downed trees and branches.
It is estimated that the amenity area lost three acres of trees.
The surrounding Coillte forest lost much more.
"The root balls came right out," said Austin Mullarkey who has a garden centre in the park and lives onsite.
"It was a ferocious storm. I could hear the trees cracking."
Mr Mullarkey has spent weeks helping the parks crew with "the tidying up before the summer madness starts."
Other amenity forests like Monte Park in Roscommon are still trying to clear trees from the paths.
Lough Key is open to visitors but asks that walkers and campers stay on the paths for their own safety as trees could still come down.
As for the downed wood generated by the storms, Mr Beggan has found several uses.
The park chipped some to use as mulch and has positioned chopped tree trunks "to keep cars off the grass".
Other trees have been fashioned into new benches and picnic tables.
"We do what we can. We have to get on with it," Mr Beggan said.
"This weekend the campsite is 70% booked out."
Lough Key is gearing up for Easter and a year that hopefully will not bring any more monster storms.
"That's the plan," smiled Mr Mullarkey as he chopped at another downed tree.