J001010 - Lycetts Newsletter Jan 2024 LR - Flipbook - Page 27
STOR M A RW E N
POSTSCR I P T
Storm Arwen of November 2021 and her malign siblings, Corrie and Malik which followed on in
January 2022, will be remembered for causing extensive wind damage to forestry across the east of
Scotland and north east of England, with an estimated seven to eight million cubic metres of
timber being damaged. David Leslie, joint MD of timber manufacturers James Jones & Sons Ltd,
estimates the damaged timber represented some 65 per cent of the UK annual timber cut, and 50
per cent of the potential biological timber availability.
Frank McGaffney of Questgates loss adjusters was
extremely busy in the aftermath of Arwen. He
observes that the initial storm came out of the
north, an unusual direction for a significant storm.
Trees along the northern and eastern flanks of
plantations tend to be less wind firm than those
exposed to the prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds, so were an easier barrier for the
wind to breach.
On site, he found a higher than usual proportion of
snapped trees, particularly amongst Scots Pine
which deteriorates more quickly and was prone to
Blue Stain fungus. Sitka often fell with its root plate
intact, allowing the tree to maintain some condition
and weight as moisture could still be absorbed.
Two years on and an estimated 30 per cent of the
15,000 plus ha of blown timber remains to be
cleared. Leslie identifies several reasons for this.
Initially, Scottish Forestry (SF) underestimated the
volume of falling timber. Indeed, Arwen was not
declared a catastrophic event which would
potentially have given the Windblow Action
Committee more power, for example removing the
necessity for felling licences as well as some forced
felling. In Scotland SF’s felling licensing system
proved inflexible, and a subsequent fast track
procedure was too short-lived and underresourced, which undermined its effectiveness.
McGaffney agrees, citing recent changes to licences
as being a contributor to delays in clearing timber.
William Barne
Director, Scotland
As a significant buyer of timber, Leslie notes that
the additional supply caused by the storms
coincided with a reduction in demand for sawn
timber and wood panel products, inevitably leading
to a notable reduction in roundwood prices. These
market conditions persist, leaving some poorer
forestry sites economically unworkable.
With such a large area yet to be cleared, and with
some marginal viability, much of the restocking
may be of poor quality, leading to sites that may not
be commercially viable in the future. However, Jon
Lambert of Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group points
out that the ’fundamentals of the forestry market
haven’t changed’. The UK continues to import a
significant proportion of its timber requirement
(80 plus per cent), and, with growing global
demand, increased population and forestry
investment being in mode, the future of UK forestry
should be robust.
What of resilience to future catastrophic storms?
Leslie is uncertain that lessons have been learned.
The forestry industry in general, especially the
public sector, has seen a decline in forestry staff
numbers. Inflexibility in licensing and the
requirements of certification, combined with
potential marketing issues would lead to similar or
worse circumstances. He advocates anticipating
future events with sensible emergency procedures
to include the removal of felling licenses for
windblow plus mandatory allocation of harvesting
resources and the possible creation of wet storage
areas for future preservation.
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