‘We are on our knees after this ... we need help’

The owner of one of the country’s leading commercial tree nurseries has pleaded for state support for the sector after storm damage brought his business “to its knees”.

Ronan Nangle, who runs specialist tree nursery firm, Nangle & Niesen Ltd, in Aherla, about 24km from Cork City, said the crop at his 100-acre nursery has been devastated by Monday’s hurricane-force winds.

They also lost power and he said he fears more damage from Storm Brian.

“We are on our knees after this,” he said.

“We need assistance. We need help.

“We’ve lost up to 2,500 trees. I estimate the damage could cost us anything from €125,000 to €200,000 — and that’s just the cost of the crop.

“But this isn’t just about fallen trees. This is a human story.

“I have eight full-time staff. That’s eight families all dependent on the business and the coming season. We need help.”

Mr Nangle was speaking yesterday as he and his staff continued assessing the full extent of the damage caused by Storm Ophelia, and as they braced for Storm Brian.

Earlier this week, the owner of an 80-acre tree nursery in Tipperary spoke of the devastation to his business in the wake of Ophelia and of his fears for his 20 staff.

John Murphy, owner of Annaveigh Plants, New Inn, near Cashel, Co Tipperary, said up to 10,000 of their tree crop had been “absolutely flattened” by the force of the storm.

Mr Nangle said the Government should consider a special state aid or support package for their industry.

“If this was a farming crisis, like foot and mouth or a fodder crisis, there would be supports or compensation packages coming from the State to help,” he said.

“We are in the agricultural sector too. But there’s nothing for us.”

Nangle & Niesen has been involved in the wholesale and commercial tree growing business for more than 40 years.

The tree nursery supplies to individuals, landscape contractors, architects, designers, retail and wholesale nurseries, public authorities, estates and farms, golf courses and commercial developments, and exports to the UK, Germany and Holland.

It has supplied magnificent trees to the K-Club Resort and supplied more than 700 specimen trees for planting as part of JP McManus’s spectacular multi-million revamp of Adare Manor.

Its vast nursery on an elevated site in Aherla, where up to 40,000 trees of over 200 species, mostly hardwoods like oak, beech, birch, maple, and sycamore, are grown, bore the full brunt of Ophelia’s hurricane-force winds.

“After 10 tough years of trading, and then the ash die-back situation, we were just starting to get on a level track in the last two years — and then this,” Mr Nangle said.

He said he and his staff are trying to recover what stock they can but it could take several weeks to complete.