Storm Arwen, Saw Logs and Red Squirrels
In this Case Study, we hear from Lazonby Estate, Cumbria about how an RFS Grant for Resilient Woodlands supported them in replanting trees destroyed by Storm Arwen.
When Storm Arwen barrelled in from the north east in November 2021 it brought devastating wind gusts of up to 110 miles per hour. Around 16 million trees fell across Scotland and the north of England, over one million people lost power and there were three fatalities.
Lazonby Estate, north of Penrith in Cumbria, is among many areas where landowners are still dealing with the aftermath. Here, under consultant Jackie Dunne from Dunnewoods, two very different woodland compartments, Baron Wood compartment 4b and L-Plantation compartment 30a, were affected by Storm Arwen. They have been replanted with 14,525 trees under the RFS Grants for Resilient Woodlands.
“This woodland restocking plan aims to protect features of the ancient forest landscape of this area of the Eden Valley, in particular veteran oak trees; as well as increasing the habitat and long-term food supply for the breeding red squirrel population. What’s been exciting is we have increased the amount of sessile oak planted within an intimate mixture tree species to eventually create a high forest to be managed under the long-term principles of Continuous Cover Forestry. From the repeated group planting of sessile oak, Scots pine, Dougal fir and Norway spruce, the management will aim to achieve long term sawlog tree along with a myriad of timber products with each management intervention.”
Baron Wood Compartment 4b
Compartment 4b is part of Baron Wood. Baron Wood was once part of the ancient royal hunting forest of Inglewood where Edward1 (King of England from 1272–1307) and his successors hunted.
The 7.31ha compartment is a Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) and runs steeply downhill to the iconic Carlisle to Settle railway and the Eden Gorge SSSI. Sessile oak-birch woodland is part of the upland character area of the Eden Gorge SSSI with significant lichens, mosses, ferns and liverworts present throughout the gorge.
An access road runs through the site. It gives access for forestry operations, railway maintenance crews and to private licenced anglers on the River Eden. There are no public rights of way.
Before Storm Arwen, compartment 4b included veteran oaks, 80-year-old Norway Spruce, Scots pine and larch together with some younger birch. Two years before the storm the wood had been lightly thinned to move towards a late conversion to Continuous Cover Forestry.
The site is home to red squirrels, monitored by the Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group. Red squirrels are recognized as endangered in the UK and protected under the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) Schedule 5. They are listed as a Section 41 species of Principal Importance for Conservation under the Natural Environment & Rural Communities (NERC) Act (2006). The rangers marked trees with squirrel dreys prior to thinning works. There was evidence of the red squirrels feeding on the Norway spruce cones with stripped cones left scattered on the tree stumps.
Storm Arwen travelled through the valley following the River Eden and the railway. It struck this compartment in a 3.44ha semicircle radiating out from an area of open ground used as the railway maintenance access area. The storm blew down mature trees and around a third of the compartment had to be cleared. In the months following Storm Arwen two further storms from differing directions, caused more windblow.
A clear fell licence was sought for the remainder of the compartment due to stability risk. Part of the felling work adjacent to the railway line had to be undertaken at night to align with railway maintenance shutdowns. The work was completed in phases across 2022 & 2023.
Species Choice and Intimate Mix Planting
“We have planted this site as an intimate mixture. Which means we have four species with each individual species in a block of nine, three in a row and in three rows across, and that block pattern carries on across the site, alternating between oak, Scots pine, Norway spruce and Douglas fir,”
This site is on sandy, well-draining soil. The restock was seen as an opportunity to significantly increase oak in the compartment to add continuity with existing veteran oaks that had withstood the storms. As well as providing future oak sawlog timber, the oaks add incredible biodiverse habitat in their crowns and boughs throughout their lifespan, which can be 900 years plus.
The overall aims are to:
- Long-term timber output through the management of a Continuous Cover Forestry system
- Management of key features of PAWS woodland
- Create habitat and long-term food source from the conifer species for red squirrels to thrive on site
In early 2023, the site was restocked with 2,500 stems per hectare aiming for a broadleaf to conifer ratio of 35%:65%. The bare root trees (13,310) were supplied by Trees Please with the following composition: Sessile oak 20%, Scots pine 20%, Norway spruce 17%/, Douglas fir 15%, woody shrubs 4%, open ground 15%, natural regeneration of silver birch, rowan, holly, Sitka spruce and larch occurring on site.
Care and Maintenance
The compartment is not a suitable terrain or gradient for deer fencing and no tree guards have been used. Deer control is on-going across the woodland under a managed plan covering the whole Estate. Trico (sheep fat) deer repellent is being used in a targeted approach on oaks and the site perimeter. It was applied in winter on planting and during the beat up (replacement) of tree losses to discourage deer browsing.
Grey squirrel control is already well established across the wider landscape as part of the management of the red squirrel in the Penrith and District Red Squirrel management zone.
After one growing season natural regeneration of rowan, holly, Sitka and Norway spruce, oak, silver birch is already visible. There is some evidence of sporadic deer grazing but this is very limited.
A beat up is planned for February 2025. It estimated that 15% of trees will need to be replaced. The estate expects to apply Trico annually as needed with additional weeding and bracken control for between 3-5 years. Natural regeneration will be accepted into the planting to replace losses and to increase age and species diversity
The young trees will be respaced at thicket stage to select and promote the best form trees. The thinning will be light to maintain high density and canopy closure. Desirable natural regeneration will be retained.
The site will be continually monitored for successful response to all management interventions. This includes monitoring of the red squirrels in the neighbouring woodlands where breeding continues.
L Plantation, compartment 30a
A short drive away from Compartment 4b lies the Lazonby Estate’s 1.91ha L Plantation, compartment 30a. This woodland strip runs alongside a B-road adjacent to the northern boundary of Lazonby Fell SSSI and ancient stone wall. The ‘L’ of the plantation connects with a well-established mixed common alder wet woodland.
Here the site is flat and exposed. The site has a warm, sheltered to moderately exposed and moist climate. The soils are slightly dry with poor nutrient status and it is prone to deer damage as deer cross the road from the adjacent lowland heath and woodland.
Storm Arwen blew through the woodland creating a 0.45 ha gap in the centre of the strip. Windfall of alder and Sitka spruce posed a danger to motorists and was cleared immediately. The remaining plantation was cleared under a felling licence having become unstable because of the damage. Around 265 tonnes of timber were removed and sold.
Species Mix and Planting
The aim is to create a more biodiverse woodland strip with added connectivity to the nearby alder copse. Adding a more diverse range of site suitable species will mean the woodland will be less vulnerable to storm damage, guidance from the Forestry Commission’s Ecological Site Classification (ESC) tool was followed.
Key species are sessile oak, sycamore, Scots pine, Norway spruce, Sitka spruce and common alder with 10% open ground.
Replanting took place in early 2023. Oak and sycamore were planted beside the roadside and in drier areas of the plantation at wider spacing to encourage open grown tree form. Other species were planted in alternating rows along the length of the site at 2m spacing in and between rows. In wetter areas there is evidence of alder coppice regrowth.
Care and Maintenance
Tree guards were used to protect broadleaf species, and a new steel fence have been used to protect from sheep incursion from the adjacent field. Trico deer repellent was also applied to most of the trees and will be reapplied annually for between three to five years as required
Beat up in February 2025 will replace all losses but after their first growing season the uptake has been high with very little evidence of deer browsing. Some existing alder was coppiced and is flourishing.
More Information
If you are interested in learning more about this project, please email us at rfshq@rfs.org.uk
Grants for Resilient Woodlands
Our Grants for Resilient Woodlands are funded by Train Hugger and Green The UK. They are open for applications from Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and Royal Scottish Forestry Society (RSFS) members all year round.
These grants are to help people plant trees that will survive and thrive into the future. Creating better, more resilient treescapes for our environment, for people and for the economy.
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