The commission said the loss of standing timber was “substantive” and concentrated in broadleaved stands, but it is expected such volume would be recovered before planned harvesting.
Most damaged timber is deemed uneconomic to harvest and markets should not be detrimentally affected, it said. The commission research backs up anecdotal evidence immediately following the late October storm that the winds had not been severe enough to have a major impact on forests and woodlands.
Richard Greenhous, director of forest services at the Forestry Commission, said woodlands had proved resilient and damage was low. He said around 70,000 woods had been affected by the storm.
Crown damage is estimated at 3.7% of all trees across the storm area, with 1% of larger trees blown over and another 0.5% snapped around halfway up the trunk.
The commission’s research stretched from Cornwall to Suffolk. Most damage was found between Wiltshire and Kent and little or no damage in the south-west and north-east extremes of the survey area.
“Windthrown and snapped trees were very thinly distributed across woods so harvesting this material would be uneconomic and most will be left in the woods,” said Mr Greenhous.
“By the time the woodlands are mature enough to supply timber they should have recovered any lost volume.”
