Tidying Up After Storm Arwen

The damage caused by the storm on Saturday is worse than first thought; in total over 50 trees have been lost and the clean up operation is a mammoth task. Most of the trees that were pushed over by the gale force winds are conifers due to their shallow root systems. They have mainly been Larch and Sitka Spruce.

To clear up, the brash is removed from the trunks (a process known as 'snedding'), the larger pieces of timber are then cut into sections that are light enough to be carried to a pile. This involves a lot of work dragging, lifting and carrying; a great green gym workout! As the woodland is inaccessible by vehicle the timber cannot be extracted easily.

Staff and volunteers are working their way around the reserve gradually opening up the footpaths again. If the large volume of debris was left on the forest floor it would become a serious fire hazard in the summer months so it is burned on small controlled bonfires. Although this isn't ideal it is better than having an uncontrolled forest fire in the future.

It has been a case of 'all hands to the deck' with staff and volunteers working extra hours and additional help from visiting groups. A special thank you to the team from the Personalised Learning Centre who assisted with some of the work in the plantation.

Finally, some good news: their group leader, Trish, has been bringing groups to the reserve for over 13 years and was thanked by the Reserve Managers who presented her with a QAVS (Queen's Award for Voluntary Service) badge.

Well done Trish and here's to the next 13!