Coillte say its teams have been extremely active in the Leitrim area following Storm Darragh.
The company has released a statement, outlining that the power companies have responsibility to ensure the areas around power lines in forested areas are kept clear of large trees and scrub that could pose a threat to the power supply.
Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands.
This area is approximately 50% of the total forests in Ireland, meaning that a significant area of forestry in Ireland is privately owned.
Therefore, the challenge of maintaining forests and trees is a challenge for the entire forest sector.
Coillte adheres to forestry regulations and guidelines, which outline appropriate set-backs from infrastructure such as powerlines.
The power companies have responsibility to ensure that the wayleave areas beneath and next to powerlines in forested areas are kept clear of large trees and scrub that could pose a threat to the power supply.
It is Coillte’s responsibility to manage the surrounding forests, but these areas are generally far enough back from powerlines so as not to pose a direct risk.
However, as a large land manager, the recent storms such as Ashley and Darragh have unfortunately caused a lot of damage across our forest estate.
Coillte endeavours to clear any of our storm damaged trees from infrastructure such as roads and trails as soon as it safe for our forestry teams to do so, after the storm has subsided.
Addressing all of the tree damage raised by our neighbours and stakeholders can take time, but we endeavour to clear the most urgent areas as a priority, and our teams have been extremely active in the Leitrim area in recent days and weeks.
Coillte’s staff and contractors are often working hard in hazardous conditions to deal with any damage caused by the unprecedented level of storms as quickly as possible and their safety is our absolute priority. We thank our neighbours and stakeholders for highlighting any damage and their patience in getting any issues resolved as quickly as we can.
