A completed assessment based on satellite imagery of wind-damaged forest areas following storms Darragh and Éowyn has confirmed that 26,050ha of forestry has been impacted.

It follows on from an initial assessment in February. The finalised data confirmed today (Tuesday, April 22) adds just under 2,500ha to the damaged forest area, compared to the initial assessment.

Commenting on the finalised assessment - which was carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Coillte - Minister of State for forestry Michael Healy-Rae said: "We were very fortunate that we had a lot of clear skies over recent weeks, which allowed for the high-resolution satellite imagery to become available and be assessed so quickly.

"Following the initial estimates issued by [the] department in February, I can now confirm that final figures indicate that a total of 26,050ha of forests have been impacted," he added.

Of this area, 14,500ha are in the Coillte estate, and 11,550ha of private forest areas have suffered wind damage.

The mapping assessment was carried out using imagery acquired from the Sentinel and SkySat satellite constellations. The use of high-resolution SkySat satellite imagery provided information at a local scale for delineation of forest damage areas.

Information at a stand (a group of trees similar in age and size) level scale is now available to registered foresters through a storm damage map layer on the department’s mapping system.

Minister Healy-Rae said: "It is clear that the first task for forest owners affected by windblow is the safe clearance of sites.

"For those who do not have a licence it’s advisable that you apply for it now and mark it as ‘storm-damage’. All such applications received will be prioritised and issued as quickly as possible," the minister added.

He said: "Once you have the licence you will still have time to harvest and you should not rush into any decisions but make a step-by-step plan to minimise risk and maximise the salvage value of trees.

"Most wind-blown forests still have considerable timber value and will retain that value for some time, in particular if the tree is still connected to the roots," Minister Healy-Rae added.

The department said that the Windblow Taskforce, which was established by Minister Healy-Rae and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon after Storm Éowyn, will develop a "comprehensive action plan".

A workshop is due to take place in early May to inform the next steps, the department said.