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Some trails reopen at Bennachie Visitor Centre following Storm Arwen damage clear-up


By Kyle Ritchie

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Post Storm Arwen clear-up work has seen the reopening of the car park and some of the trails at Bennachie Visitor Centre but the Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) team in the area is warning that other woodlands will take longer to reopen.

Workers have cleared the car park a week earlier than had been expected and made some of the trails accessible.

Long-distance ones remain closed from Bennachie Visitor Centre. The latest updates for other Bennachie sites are available on the FLS website.

Clear-up work has taken place at Bennachie Visitor Centre.
Clear-up work has taken place at Bennachie Visitor Centre.

FLS area visitor services manager Fiona Robertson said: “The trails around the Bennachie Visitor Centre were badly damaged by Storm Arwen but after a full week of hard work with as many as 11 chainsaw operators on site at any one time, we have managed to open up the car park and some of the trails that begin there.

“The centre’s car park is open, as is the Colony Trail, The Discovery Trail and the Mither Tap Timeline Trail.

“However, for the moment the longer Turnpike Trail and The Gordon Way remain closed as does the Back O Bennachie, where we need to get some heavy machinery in to clear the windblown trees.

“We know how popular Bennachie is with so many people and we look forward to visitors returning.

“We would remind anyone coming along to avoid areas of windblow and observe any safety signage that they might see.

"Windblow is dangerous, so please stick to the cleared trails and let us get on with opening up the rest of the site safely.

"Additional closures will be needed at Bennachie Visitor Centre to enable us to clear further windblow in and around the car park so it’s important that visitors check our website for the latest updates before they come along.”

Felled trees, hanging trees and even ones that are still standing can all be unstable after a major storm. They can roll, pivot, slide or fall at the slightest disturbance.

Unstable trees, parts of trees, root plates and stones can suddenly topple, tip over, fall or roll away without any visible reason days, weeks or even months after a storm.

Members of the public are being specifically advised to check the FLS website before visiting other areas because access to Glenn Doll, Tentsmuir and the woodlands around Aberdeen is limited.

FLS area visitor services manager Justin Livesey said: “Clearing windblow is a dangerous and difficult job and needs to be planned meticulously.

“The satellite imagery that we received from Scottish Forestry has given us a very good understanding of the main areas we need to focus on but we need to obtain more detailed aerial imagery in order to properly plan the clear-up work.

“It is a long and slow process – and it needs to be because it carries significant risk. There can be huge tension and forces both in individual trees as well as in jammed stems and root plates that need to be assessed by trained professionals before any clearance work can begin.

“We are therefore asking members of the public to help us by continuing to avoid affected forests.

"As well as giving our teams the space to work, it will help avoid any accidents and minimise health and safety concerns.”

Up-to-date information on FLS forests and access can be found at www.forestryandland.gov.scot


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