Busiest Christmas for tree surgeons

A tree down in the monastery estate in Clondalkin following heavy winds

Majella O'Sullivan Twitter Email

January 01 2014 11:33 PM

AS ESB crews worked over Christmas to restore power to homes, tree surgeons were also busy dealing with the huge numbers of fallen trees.

It's been the busiest Christmas in years for forestry workers who have been out in bad weather tending to trees damaged in storms and making safe trees in danger of falling.

In Killarney National Park, about 60 mature trees were lost in the storms, most lifted from the ground by the roots.

Around the town, about 10 trees were lost, including two beech trees, one of which was over 200 years old.

Tree surgeon Ger Brosnan of Tree Services has been busy since St Stephen's Day dealing with the fallout of the damage for Killarney Town Council.

"I had to cancel Christmas this year and postpone it until next year," he joked. "We've been flat out since last Thursday closing roads, dealing with fallen trees and opening roads again."

Ger and his team have also been working with ESB crews where trees damaged power lines. He said he had never witnessed so much damage caused by a storm but others remember similar weather in 1972 where extensive damage was caused at Fota in Cork.

He advises people to check their own trees, especially if they're near a public road or wall. "One of the trees that fell in the town brought down a live wire, which is very dangerous," he said.

He says he expects to spend the next couple of weeks working in the area before it's returned to normal.

He praised the town council for its prompt response to the storm, making sure pedestrians, motorists and people enjoying the National Park were safe.