Game of Thrones trees need ‘aggressive’ replanting to survive, warn campaigners

NORTHERN IRELAND’S Dark Hedges trees, which have enjoyed renewed popularity after they appeared in Game of Thrones, could disappear within 15 years, a campaigner has warned.

Mervyn Storey, chairman of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust, said the state of the popular Co Antrim visitor attraction had declined sharply in recent years and called for an “aggressive” replanting scheme to fill out gaps created by trees that have fallen or been cut down.

Work began in November to cut down six of the trees and carry out remedial work on several others on safety grounds. The tunnel of trees gained new fame when it was featured in the hit HBO fantasy series and now attracts significant numbers of tourists from around the world. However, concerns have been raised about the state of several of the beech trees near Stranocum and a number have blown down during storms in recent years.

Mr Storey said: “These trees are 300 years old, so obviously there is a challenge in terms of how do you maintain something of that age? There is a natural lifespan and that’s coming progressively closer and closer to an end.”

Mr Storey said focus now needed to turn towards preserving the trees that are left. He added: “We have got plenty of platitudes, plenty of visits, plenty of photographs and plenty of people who say this is a wonderful place, but not too many of them put their hand in their pocket.”

Mr Storey warned of the potential impact on what is left of the Dark Hedges if a plan to preserve the site is not put in place. “What I would love to see is a very aggressive replanting ... Plant trees there that would be 15ft to 20ft high, fill the gaps and try to bring back some of that mystique,” he said.

In the coming months responsibility for preserving the trees will pass from the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust to the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, which plans to establish a new Dark Hedges management forum, which is expected to consist of relevant statutory organisations, landowners and other interested parties.

‘Plenty of people say this is a wonderful place, but not too many of them put their hand in their pocket’