Different species and ages of trees will cope with storms better

Scotland’s forests need to become more diverse to cope with storms, Scottish Forestry have said.

The call comes a year after Storm Arwen’s “vicious” winds brought down trees across the north east and Tayside, and into the Scottish Borders.

The winds hit overnight on November 26/27 last year, with Storm Corrie and Malik following in January.

Research by the Forest Research agency shows the three storms caused around 9,300 hectares of woodland to be damaged, around 18.6 million trees.

Guidance on adapting forests and woodlands to tackle climate change advocates carefully considered design plans of woodlands.

Jason Hubert, Scottish Forestry’s head of business development, said: “We have not encountered storms as vicious as Arwen for many years and its effects were quite devastating.

“The direction and ferocity of the wind meant many trees were simply not able to withstand the onslaught.

“With climate change having negative impacts on weather patterns, we can expect windier and wetter winters.

“We need to create more diverse forests with different species, sizes and ages so they can handle extreme weather events better. This will take time.”