The opening of the 2026 Reconstitution Scheme for Windblown Forests has been announced today by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon.

The package worth €55m aims to support forest owners whose forests were damaged in 2025 by storms Darragh and Éowyn.

The level of financial support provided under the scheme depends on whether or not the forest was insured for the costs of reconstitution at the time of storms Darragh and Éowyn the Department noted.

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Applicants to the scheme will also need to hold a valid felling licence.

According to the Department, the grant will paid in two installments with 75% of the grant in the year of replanting and the remaining 25% after four years.

The rates of the grant can be seen below in table 1.

According to the Department, the grant will paid in two installments with 75% of the grant in the year of replanting and the remaining 25% after four years.

Critical support

Minister Heydon commented on the announcement: “I would firstly like to take this opportunity to acknowledge former Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae who has been a valued colleague and brought great energy to his role in forestry.”

“Last year we announced a total package of €55m to help all those registered forest owners who have been affected by the terrible storms of 2025, this is a critical support for the restoration of damaged forests and I would encourage all affected private forest owners to contact their registered forester and get their application in as soon as possible.”

“We’ve made every effort to keep the application process as straightforward and accessible as possible with clear guidance and supporting material available to assist registered foresters. This will help ensure applications can be prepared and submitted with clarity and confidence,” he said.

The Department has said that applications for the Reconstitution Scheme must be submitted by a registered forester on behalf of the forest owner through the Department’s iNET system.

A detailed circular outlining the application process, mapping requirements and eligibility criteria has issued to the sector and is available on the Department’s website here.

For more information on the scheme click here.