In Raheen Forest, near Freemount in Co. Cork, Coillte has reached a significant milestone in the national windblow recovery effort following Storm Éowyn. This forest is among the first windblown sites in the country not only to be cleared, but also fully replanted to restart the forest cycle once again.

The achievement was marked by a visit from Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Healy-Rae, who commended the speed and scale of the response. The Raheen site was mapped, licensed, harvested and replanted in under six months. Timber from the storm-damaged trees is now being processed locally at Glennons sawmill in Fermoy, where it will be used for low-carbon timber-frame housing, pallets, and fencing – all supporting sustainable Irish construction and manufacturing.

On 24th January, Storm Éowyn caused the most widespread forest damage ever recorded in Ireland, toppling over 26,000 hectares of trees nationwide. Of that, 14,500 hectares were on Coillte’s estate, including productive forests, biodiversity sites and recreational areas. Raheen Forest was one of the hardest hit locations in County Cork.

Coillte responded within days, activating its windblow response protocol to support local communities and begin emergency recovery work. This included restoring access, mapping the damage using satellite and drone technologies, and initiating a targeted harvest and sales plan. In just ten weeks, Coillte had fully mapped the damage. Today, with more than 40 million windblown trees across its estate, Coillte remains on track to recover all affected forests by the end of 2026 and to have them replanted by 2027.

Junior Minister (Minister of State) Healy-Rae, speaking during his visit to Raheen Forest, said, “I’m delighted to be at Coillte’s Raheen Wood in Co. Cork to see the work of the Windblow Task Force come to fruition. This forest was windblown in January and has since been mapped, licensed, planned, harvested and local tree planting contractors are finishing planting the forest to restart the forest cycle again. The wood is going to local sawmills for construction and I hope this is the first of many of these sites to be fully restored after the storm.”

To address the operational challenge, Coillte has mobilised over 65 harvesting machines nationwide and worked closely with Irish harvesting and haulage contractors. At Raheen and elsewhere, local expertise in windblow extraction has been critical. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s swift action in granting felling licences, including at Raheen, enabled Coillte to move quickly to protect timber value and begin replanting. Approximately 85% of all windblown areas now have licences, with Irish contractors prioritised for all work.

Coillte Managing Director Mark Carlin highlighted the importance of rapid action at sites like Raheen. He said, “We have a comprehensive recovery and replanting operation that is already showing results. Speed is of the essence to ensure timber can be safely harvested and brought to market as quickly as possible. This timber is being processed through Irish sawmills for construction products to build low carbon timber-frame houses, and for pallets, fencing, panel-boards and energy-wood. We are fortunate that Ireland has a world-class sawmilling sector which has the capacity to process increased levels of timber, and that Ireland is situated next door to the UK which is second biggest importer of timber in the world.”

While significant progress has been made, the storm’s legacy will be felt for months. With continued industry coordination and government support, Coillte is now well-positioned to meet these challenges, and to continue to supply sustainable and certified timber to the Irish wood-supply chain.