The winter’s big freeze has devastated hundreds of trees across Perthshire, with Kinnoull Hill in Perth among the hardest hit.
Countryside rangers have worked hard to make the hill’s walking routes safe, but much work remains to protect damaged trees.
A total of £15,000 is to be spent by Perth and Kinross Council over six weeks on a programme targeting storm-hit specimens and loose limbs in the most-used areas.
However, that will address a mere fraction of the trees damaged by the heavy and sustained snowfall and the quick thaw and high winds that followed.
There is storm damage to trees at Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park and St Magdalene’s Hill in Perth, and also at the Den of Alyth.
Oaks have suffered particularly badly at Kinnoull, and a number of trees need large branches removed. A significant amount of timber has also fallen on to or near paths.
Over the next few weeks a team of three will lop off damaged limbs and clear paths.
Senior countryside ranger Niall Lobley and his team are anticipating a busy few weeks in a bid to deal with what he admits is only a small part of the damage caused by this winter’s storms.Significant damage”The weight of the snow that was deposited on trees that were simply unused to it, coupled with the quick thaw and the high winds that accompanied it meant that a number of sites sustained fairly significant damage,” he said. “Kinnoull Hill in Perth was by far the worst affected.
“Perth and Kinross Council manages around 80 hectares of land there and in the region of 140 trees, along the main paths alone, have received damage that needs attention.
“We are not looking at the rest of the wider woodland at the moment, though we will look at it in the coming months if funding becomes available.
“The trees that have been hit hardest have been oaks, but they are tolerant trees that naturally shed limbs as they get older, with little harm being caused.
“Their long-term future is not under threat, unless we continue to get these long and hard winters.
“With the early heavy weather in January 2010, some of these trees have had a poor year. They’ve been damaged and have simply not a chance to recover.”RiskAny trees that could put people’s safety at risk have already been dealt with as a matter of urgency.
However, large areas of trees off the main routes on Kinnoull Hill have been badly hit and it will be some time before the full extent of the damage is assessed.
The team will also felling around 20 trees at the Den of Alyth in a bid to make space for improvements to the local path network.
The work will see the removal of a variety of invasive species, including beech and sycamore, from the upper part of the Den, in the area known locally as the Tullyfergus Loop.
The trees will be removed to make way for path improvements and to create a more open and diverse woodland with extra light to encourage natural tree regeneration and growth.
Perth and Kinross Council said the thinning works were identified in the site’s management plans and discussed with the community late last year.
While contractors work in Perth and Alyth, it is likely some paths will be closed to the public.