The Forestry Commission has been marking the 20th anniversary of the Great Storm which blew down around 15 million trees.
The 100mph winds on October 16 1987 caused severe damage to the public forest estate managed by the Forestry Commission, including Sandlings Forest in Suffolk and the National Pinetum at Bedgebury, where 30% of the National Conifer Collection was lost.
About 25% of the damage was in public forests, with the rest affecting other woodland owners, from farmers and private estates to organisations like the National Trust and local authorities.
Innovative solutions to the massive influx of felled timber included the creation of a wet timber storage facility at Thetford, Norfolk.
Between March 1988 and July 1992 water was sprayed onto 70,000m³ of pine logs to preserve them. It was the first time the technique had been used in the UK and enabled the wood to be saved from deterioration and allowed markets to stabilise before releasing the timber.
“The 20-year anniversary of the Great Storm provides an opportunity to take stock of the damage caused by the winds and to remember the fantastic effort made by everyone involved in the clear-up operation,” said Forestry Commission chairman Lord Clark of Windermere.
He said the storm highlighted the importance of woodland management in creating diverse woodlands with a great variety of tree ages, which would help woodlands become more resilient in the face of future storms “which may become a more frequent event as a result of climate change”.
