Storm Éowyn caused significant destruction to Northern Ireland forests. Many parks remain closed. Minister Muir thanks staff and farmers for their efforts.
Andrew Muir is the minister for agriculture and environment. He said parks had lots of damage too, and apologized that many parks are still closed. He spoke after a politician asked about the damage.
Muir visited Drum Manor Forest Park near Cookstown where he saw very bad destruction. He also said ancient trees in Castlewellan were destroyed too. He thanked the Forest Service staff for their work, citing safety as the reason for the delays, because they want to keep people safe when parks reopen.
Someone asked about when the parks will reopen. Muir said they check each park individually, noting that his park, Crawfordsburn Country Park opened again. He thanked the staff that made it happen, explaining that other parks need more time due to more damage and he hopes they’ll all open soon, though some will open faster than others.
Muir thanked farmers and rural people already for helping a lot after the big storm. He thanked them for helping people, noting farmers cleared roads and supported their neighbors. He feels very thankful for their support.
