The FoRISK Secretariat supports the Irish Ministry of Agriculture in facing windstorms
Windstorms are among the most devastating forest risk factors, causing loss of livelihood and income and disrupting markets at different levels. A proactive approach to managing this crisis must cover all phases.
This is why the FoRISK Secretariat, along with the Minister Haely-Rae, the Irish Forest Windblow Taskforce, and a group of experts represented by Christoph Hartebrodt (from the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Württemberg) met in Dublin earlier this month.
The round table discussion touched on FoRISK’s vision to enhance knowledge exchange and support toolset for countries facing such calamities. The Irish stakeholders openly expressed their challenges and concerns post-event, such as limitations in the wood-transport process and licensing, while Mr. Hartebrodt shared his extensive experiences in facing windstorms not only in Germany but also in Slovenia and other pan-European countries.
Mr. Hartebrodt presented a detailed map showing the supply chain and interconnected processes, and analyzing the shortcoming factors as an essential tool when investigating a country’s windstorm prevention, preparation, intervention, and restoration phases.
The discussion highlighted the importance of building trust and strengthening collaboration while facing such a devastating event through the facilitation of the FoRISK Secretariat and its international experts.
The joint work with the Ministry of Agriculture in Ireland is ongoing, and FoRISK is directly helping develop a dynamic wind-blow strategy for the country. A follow-up one-day workshop has been announced for early May.