Forestry licencing reached a new high for 2025 last week, with 70 licences issued, according to the Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association (SEEFA).

This included 21 afforestation licences, 25 road licences, and 22 private felling licences, marking significant progress, particularly after the previous week showed strength only in afforestation licencing.

According to SEEFA, despite these recent positive numbers, the underlying numbers "are still a bit behind".

Afforestation licensing covered 139ha. SEEFA believes that while this figure is better than most weeks this year, it is still below the 154ha weekly average required to meet the annual target of 8,000ha.

The association added that the situation is more concerning in private felling, where 22 licences covered just 225ha, nearly one-third less than the weekly average achieved in 2023.

SEEFA said: "While recent weeks show encouraging momentum from the department, continued improvements in both the volume and area covered by licences remain essential."

Last week (April 4), the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) called for strict control measure at Irish ports on imported second-hand or used forest machinery.

Padraig Stapleton, farm forestry chairperson of the IFA, called on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that all such machinery entering Ireland goes through these measures.

He said this was particularly important in light of Storm Éowyn and the many thousands of hectares of downed forest around the country.

Stapleton said: “The work to salvage the near 24,000ha of windblown timber is underway.

“However, the importation of second-hand or used forestry machinery into the country to help with the operation could pose a biosecurity risk if machinery isn’t adequately sterilised and fumigated.

“[The department] must ensure the strictest control measures are imposed at sea ports,” he added.

The IFA forestry chairperson called for any machinery entering Ireland without meeting biosecurity requirements to be refused entry.