County Roscommon couple facing huge financial losses as forestry is destroyed

A County Roscommon couple in their mid-70s have been left devastated and face a loss of hundreds of thousands of euros after a major part of their forestry was destroyed by Storm Eowyn.

Geraldine and Danny Flynn from Kilgass lost over 80 percent of their 25 acres of forestry at Moher and have been left in limbo as to what the future holds.

Their son Ultan told the Herald that the trees were due to be felled in 2027 but now they are “looking at them rotting on the ground.” After Storm Darragh the ESB carried out some works on the land, but these did not take place until the Wednesday before Storm Eowyn.

During the storm over 100 trees were also blown onto a side road, which Roscommon County Council then had to clear while swathes of the forest were flattened.

He said his parents are looking at “potentially €100,000 to €200,000” in losses and had been depending on the income from forestry for a future pension. The situation has caused huge stress and worry, which is being exacerbated by the issue of felling licences.

Currently anyone wishing to remove trees from their land must apply for a licence. Normally this could take between one to three years, but the Department of Agriculture is saying that in this situation licenses should be processed within 45-50 days. However, this will still be subject to anyone wishing to make an objection.

Mr Flynn added: “My father brought the land in the 1990s and reclaimed it. He sowed crops but the land was too bad, and he was advised to plant forestry. It was going to be their pension.” 

Insurance will not cover the losses, and he stated his parents have been left in limbo. He stressed the need for a “blanket licence” to allow farmers to try and salvage the felled trees. “We are not expecting full compensation, but we need to get something going. The value of it (the timber) is evaporating.” He believes that the timber really needs to be salvaged within the next six months.

He highlighted that when a similar situation took place in Wales the government waived the licence requirement, and he wants to see this happen here.

To add to the problems, Ultan explained that most harvesters have now been booked for the next three years and so there is a need to get machines and operators in from Germany and other countries to help alleviate the situation.

“We need to be proactive rather than reactive,” he said, obviously frustrated by the whole situation. He added that for the moment his parents remain in limbo as to when they can start removing the fallen trees and begin measuring the resulting financial losses.