Chatelherault’s trees to be felled to improve views
Forestry work to take three weeks
Swathes of non-native conifers are to be removed from Hamilton’s Chatelherault Country Park over the next three weeks.
Eight hundred tonnes of commercial forestry are to be felled in the area which surrounds the historic hunting lodge.
The conifers currently block the views over the Duke’s Bridge, Cadzow Castle and the Avon Gorge.
Harvesters will start removing the western hemlocks, which are native to north-west North America, from this Monday, July 31.
South Lanarkshire countryside and greenspace manager Malcolm Muir said: “The removal of these trees and subsequent regeneration for the shorter native broad-leaved trees will restore the views and landscape for generations to come as well as increase biodiversity.”
Countryside rangers anticipate that the Duke’s Bridge path will be closed for a number of days for safety reasons as a result of the work.
Visitors are advised to check the South Lanarkshire Countryside Rangers Facebook page and visitor centre information.
The work by the hunting lodge – which houses the park’s visitor centre – is the third phase of woodland management in the park.
Phases one and two involved the felling of an area at Laverock Burn, Barncluith, in 2007 and an area between Cadzow Oaks and the White Bridge in 2016. staff for up-to-date
The area at Laverock Hill has regenerated and is now covered by healthy native woodland.
For more information go to www. facebook.com/countrysiderangers/
Revenue generated from the felled timber will help restore features Chatelherault Country Park along with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP).