Concerns raised over no plans to increase forestry budget following winter storms damage
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Concerns have been raised that there are no plans to increase Scottish Forestry’s budget despite an Aberdeenshire MSP highlighting that fallen trees from recent storms are posing safety risks and blocking paths.
MSP Alexander Burnett said the decision was extremely disappointing amid fears that high levels of damage throughout the region are causing major backlogs in clearing debris from forests and country roads.
Storms have battered the north-east in recent times as Storm Isha resulted in a tornado alert for parts of Aberdeenshire in January, just a month after Storm Gerrit caused 35,000 properties to be cut off from power supplies.
The destruction has blocked parts of Clashindarroch, Battlehill Woods and the Meadows in Huntly due to fallen trees.
Other areas which have been affected include Gauchill Woods at Kintore and sites at Alford, Banchory and Rhynie.
But in a question from the Aberdeenshire West MSP asking if Scottish Forestry’s budget would be boosted to cope with increased workloads, Rural Affairs and Land Reform Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the organisation recently revised its Windblow Contingency Plan and revealed there were no plans for extra money.
Mr Burnett said: “Several constituents have contacted me with concerns about long-standing damage to woodland which is posing a danger to people and blocking access.
“Despite Aberdeenshire repeatedly falling victim to horrendous storms in recent years, I’m appalled that the SNP-Green Government is refusing to allocate more funding to allow for debris to be cleared quicker.
“Across my constituency, there are still several forests which are blocked with fallen trees and even worse, trees which are about to collapse and could cause a serious incident to people nearby.
“As we have again witnessed in recent months, Aberdeenshire has been one of the hardest hit at a time when the council is having its budgets slashed and in some cases, forcing work like this to be put on hold.
“I commend the work to date across Aberdeenshire by clear-up teams, many of whom are often voluntary, and I will continue to urge the Scottish Government to increase funding to ensure our forests are clear and safe to gain access to.”
In her response, Mairi Gougeon said: “Scottish Forestry has well developed arrangements in place to respond to major storms and has recently revised its Windblow Contingency Plan and initiated several multi-agency working groups to inform improvements.
“There are no plans to increase the Scottish Forestry dedicated budget at this time.”
