The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Shocking Tentsmuir images reveal scale of Storm Arwen damage
Storm Arwen battered our woods – and it might take a year before all of them are cleared. Fallen trees are now a common sight in some of our most popular walking spots.
It is estimated the storm affected eight million trees across Scotland.
Tentsmuir Forest is one of most popular spots for walkers, cyclists and horse riders in north-east Fife. The above photo shows the scale of damage to that woodland alone.
Some woods, of course, have fared better.
Many areas will need replanting, meaning our woods will not look the same for many years to come.
Officials are still creating
full picture of which woodlands needs attention first. Land and Forestry Scotland, Confor and Scottish Forestry are working together to assess the damage and manage resources.
They are using a mapping tool which uses recorded wind strength to gauge how likely an area is to have been damaged and then carrying out inspections.
Early assessments show the most badly affected areas include Angus, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Borders.
Scottish Forestry is working to “fast-track and simplify” the paperwork needed to approve tree felling and forest management.
Damaged trees – whether blown down during Storm Arwen or those at risk of collapsing afterwards as a result – will be removed.
They will be taken to wood processors across Scotland.
Replanting will then take place.
Damaged woodlands include Tentsmuir Forest, Templeton Woods, Kinnoull Hill, and part of Dunkeld and Birnam Walks.
A Woodland Trust spokeswoman said they are assessing their sites “the old-fashioned way” by walking the woods.
General warnings to not enter woodlands have also been issued.
Templeton Woods is currently closed to the public.
Rangers in Dundee issued a warning that anyone visiting Templeton is “taking your life into your own hands”.
Swathes of Tentsmuir has been flattened, with hundreds of collapsed trees.
We asked for timelines on when woods in Tayside and Fife damaged by Storm Arwen are likely to be repaired.
A Scottish Forestry spokesman said they did not have a full local breakdown of damaged areas yet.
He said: “We have not been able to get that far as yet. Most of the trees that have been flattened will be removed over the next year and sent to wood processors across Scotland.
“In time, the forests will be replanted.”
Forestry and Land Scotland, who manage Tentsmuir Forest, said the first priority is clearing access for local residents.
“After that, we will be looking at the other issues in Tentsmuir,” a spokesman said.
They expect the “most popular” paths – such as the ice house trail – to be reopened by January.
Some areas, such as Morton Lochs National Nature Reserve car park, is likely to remain closed until autumn next year, the spokesman warned.
Perth and Kinross Council did not respond when asked about Kinnoull Hill and Dunkeld and Birnam Walks.
Dundee City Council could not confirm when Templeton Woods will reopen, but a spokesman said updates will be issued “through the usual channels at the earliest opportunity”.