€55m financial aid scheme for foresty owners affected by storms
Forestry in many areas, including in County Roscommon, suffered unprecedented levels of windblow damage from Storms Eowyn and Darragh.
Forestry Minister Michael Healy-Rae has confirmed that up to €55m will be available to private foresty owners affected by Storms Darragh and Éowyn through a new financial aid scheme.
The new reconstitution scheme will provide a grant to owners to replant damaged areas with either conifer or broadleaf species, or a mixture of both.
Minister Healy-Rae stated: “Storms Darragh and Éowyn have inflicted significant damage on forests around the country, resulting in real challenges for forestry. The volume of timber normally felled over a 2.5 year period was blown down overnight during storm Éowyn in January 2025. While I welcome the significant effort and progress made to date by the forestry sector in the mobilisation of windblown material in forests, it is clear that financial support is required for private forest owners affected by these events.” Satellite imagery assessments following these storms indicated that damage was caused to 26,050 hectares of forestry, and of that, almost 13,000 hectares are in private ownership.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, said: “I welcome this scheme which will provide financial aid to private landowners whose plantations were damaged by storm force winds that occurred during Storms Darragh and Éowyn. It will provide a grant to forest owners for replanting with either conifer or broadleaf species, or a mixture of both. I encourage all private forest owners affected by Storms Darragh and Éowyn to avail of this comprehensive Reconstitution Scheme. This will be vital in helping landowners to restore their forests’ potential.” The level of support under the reconstitution scheme for windblow depends on whether the forest was insured for the costs of reconstitution at the time of the storms.
Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae concluded: “This reconstitution scheme contains an attractive package to enable payments to forest owners for replanting their damaged forest areas. The grant rates offered will reflect the replanting species and will mirror the planting grant rates paid through my Department’s Afforestation Scheme. Landowners who have already replanted, or are in the process of doing so, are eligible to apply for this scheme retrospectively once they satisfy the qualifying criteria.”
Applications for the scheme will open in early 2026.
