By Charles Nicholls
Storm Darragh hit last weekend and it was a big one, reminiscent of the 1987 storm that caused so much damage. The combination of high winds and heavy rainfall took its toll with significant flooding, burst riverbanks and trees blocking access in the area. On Saturday the area was cut off from electricity, cell phone, landlines and internet; for many people these services are still not back to normal.
It was with some trepidation that we inspected the damage to the Glandwr Forest on Sunday after the storm. Sunday brought a day of clear skies, bright sunshine and spectacular lighting with only the strong winds as reminder of the chaos of the day before.
The damage wasn’t as bad as we had feared, but unfortunately, we lost 8 mature trees, including two magnificent mature oaks. I ventured down to the public footpath to check on one of my favourite parts of the Glandwr Forest where the trees, with their gnarled roots, frame the path in a wonderful oak tunnel. I’m glad to report that no trees were damaged in this section. Phew.
Up on the top of the site, which is more than 250m above sea level, it is much more exposed, and this is where the biggest impact of Storm Darragh was felt.
This old oak was one of my favourites, in particular because of its wonderful ‘Old Man’s Beard’ lichens (Usnea subfloridana), which likes acidic bark and needs clean unpolluted air.
Some of our scientific trees will also have suffered some damage, but nature is resilient and they will recover. Our ancient oak (c.430 years old) and ash were unaffected, having seen it all before in their lifetimes.
Our barn also survived pretty much unscathed, and a few quick repairs to gutters later and is good to go once the electricity is restored.
On this spectacular day, I was reminded of how beautiful this site is. I fell in love all over again, as I do so often do when greeted by one of those special days when big nature is showing off.
