The Department of Agriculture has issued advice to forestry owners applying for road and clearfelling licences for storm-damaged forests as it anticipates a “significant increase” in licence applications over the coming months.

Department officials are assessing whether a “simplified approach” can be taken to authorising the cutting, harvesting and removal of forestry in compliance with the EU regulations, which mandate licensing for these activities.

In the meantime, staff have been redeployed to expedite the processing of any windblow-related licence applications, with priority to be granted to relevant applications submitted before 31 August 2025.

Since Wednesday, the Department’s licensing system asks applicants to indicate if a licence is being made in respect of storm-damaged forestry – if so, applicants should select which storm the damage relates to.

The extent of the damage should be indicated in percentage terms and damage should be mapped as separate windblown plots on the harvest plan map.

Field survey

The Department has stated that it will take more account of existing environmental information when assessing applications where the nature of windblown damage impedes standard field survey on application areas.

It has asked all requests for further information to be turned around by applicants promptly.

Any applications for felling or forestry roads submitted before damage was caused to the area applied for should be flagged to the Department with the additional information of the storm that caused the damage and the extent of the damage to the plot.

These cases should be flagged by emailing felling.forestservice@agriculture.gov.ie with the information outlined above and the licence application number.

Pre-existing applications for thinning licences on areas left damaged by storms may be amended to clearfell and replanting applications where relevant, again by emailing the email address listed above.