A series of events are taking place to advise forestry owners of the steps they can take to deal with damage caused by Storm Éowyn.
The record winds that hit the country on 24 January resulted in the loss of thousands of trees, which had been planted for commercial purposes.
Estimates from an analysis of satellite images suggest that close to 24,000 hectares of forestry were blown down by the storm. Half of it was on private holdings.
That amounts to around 10 million cubic metres of timber, felled in one night, or almost two and a half times the total volume harvested, from all Irish forests in 2023.
Experts say much of the fallen timber can be salvaged, but growers have ongoing concerns about a drop in prices and a shortage of contractors.
Agriculture development agency Teagasc has been hosting post-storm seminars at a number of locations to guide owners through the harvesting process and help them prepare for the future.
The events held on holdings where the forestry clean-up operation is continuing, have attracted large numbers to Mountbellew, Co Galway and Castlerea, Co Roscommon.
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Growers first get an overview of the regulatory framework governing the cutting and removal of trees.
A Department of Agriculture Felling Licence is required for this task, and officials say they have been working to expedite the process in recent weeks, given the huge volume of timber to be cut.
Many of those attending this week's event in Roscommon spoke of the financial losses they were facing as a result of the impact of Storm Éowyn.
Pyers O'Conor Nash said that while his stock was nearing maturity when the winds hit, timber prices had fallen sharply as a result of the anticipated oversupply.
"The great problem here for every forest owner is that, in the past, we would like to take it [timber] out at the optimum time, when prices were good. Now, that particular discretion has been taken away, we have to sell at the lowest time, when prices are really poor," Mr O'Conor Nash said.
He explained how saw log was fetching around €100 per cubic metre at Christmas, but was now "bouncing around €50 to €60, maybe a little bit more, but that's a straight reflection between supply and demand".
Paul Wilson and his wife Aisling Kearney have a small forest in Sligo.
They said they are facing "a disaster" due to the age of the trees that fell, the huge extraction costs, and associated replanting obligations.
In addition, they are finding it hard to get a contractor who will come and harvest smaller holdings like theirs.
"Low income and high outgoings, they don’t add up," said Mr Wilson.
Acting head of Teagasc’s forestry department Tom Houlihan said it was important to ensure all available supports were provided to owners, grappling with such challenges.
He said that planning a way through the problems is vital. With a 12 to 18-month window to harvest timber, before it starts to rot, advisors are keen to emphasise the potential in the so-called "windblow" trees.
However, they are also keenly aware of the glut of timber making its way to market and the knock-on consequences that will have on the bottom line, when it comes to achieving a fair price.
Securing enough harvesting contractors to carry out the huge volume of work that needs to be done is also on the agenda.
The department’s Windblow taskforce heard yesterday from European experts with experience in similar scenarios.
Many of those at the Roscommon gathering expressed hope that harvesters would travel here in the coming weeks, to assist in the ongoing task.
Others, like Mark Langan from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal called on Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry Michael Healy-Rae to examine the potential of giving "forest owners the opportunity to replant their land with native species and give them a new premium to do that".
"Maybe that would be a way for us to recoup our losses on our investment and also break up this monotonous sitka spruce monoculture that we have at the minute," he said.
The final "Talking Timber" seminar takes place next Tuesday in Sligo.
