Trees lost to Eunice and Arwen and other recent storms

[AppleButter]

(Pales in comparison to other losses, not comparable.)

So many trees have come down in Storm Eunice, and a bit before before than in Arwen, which also had a red warning. Dudley will have brought its own damage.

Perhaps we want to talk about our beloved trees, cherished garden trees, trees we walked past everyday, trees we cared about. Perhaps they can still be helped, perhaps they will have fresh shoots from the remaining stools/stumps.

We may as amateurs even see some patterns , which trees did well, whether they had previously been damaged, did they show signs of decay, were they planted by landscapers as large specimens, or planted as acorns by jays (unlikely that anyone alive would know though). Was the ground around them trampled, ploughed, or fertilised? (Fertiliser interferes with natural fungi relationships and we are only just learning about such mutual benefits)

Did the trees fall at the beginning of the storm, or after sustained winds, or did they survive one storm, weakened, and fall in the next?

I am putting this in weather as the main driver is the storms, but we can move it if you wish.

I have a walnut tree struggling against Eunice right now. She is battered, has lost many branches in previous years, had a crown treatment last year, about 50 years old but not very wide trunk.

No deciduous trees are in leaf yet, which should help, but I don’t know if my walnut will survive till morn, the gales are still very extreme. We aren’t in a red zone though.

It's so sad, isn't.

The trees in my garden are OK, but I look at the devastation around and keep thinking that we'll never replace the lost trees just because we don't seem to be able to think long term, and we don't value them. My local council is very chainsaw happy.

Hope your walnut pulls through. I love walnut trees, they have the best shade.

I think many native trees are able to regenerate, if allowed to do so in the post-storm cleanup. There was useful advice on the Dudley and Eunice threads on this board about trees - a tree surgeon may be able to help and lever fallen tree back into place. Depends on the tree of course, but there is a possibility.

I'm sure they can, but it doesn't seem to be a priority. I'm sure there are many of us happy that there are so many trees gone because we are conditioned to see them as a nuisance, because they drop leaves, make a mess, cause shade.

I agree, and I avoided the gardening board for that reason. A naturally regenerated, craggy tree with rough edges isn’t aesthetically pleasing, and not something people want to have around.
So many people have reported broken trees in connection with the storm, I would like to know more about all these poor trees and whether any will be magically saved.
It has been warm over this winter (except a chilly front end) so many birds will have stayed here, and are now caught in stormy weather.

I have two large trees in my garden, luckily they withstood the storms.

Neighbours often drop hints that they would like them gone but I love them, they are homes to birds, playgrounds for squirrels and I love watching the comings and goings of the wildlife they attract.

Agree, the birds have been very active recently.

@slavetothekittens

I have two large trees in my garden, luckily they withstood the storms.

Neighbours often drop hints that they would like them gone but I love them, they are homes to birds, playgrounds for squirrels and I love watching the comings and goings of the wildlife they attract.

Be prepared for more nagging now. It will be hints about how dangerous they can be in a storm.

It's absolutely devastating. I watched my seventy year old FIL survey around our home and cry. He was born here. He said that in his mind whenever a tree as old as these come down, a whale dies. I cried for days. We lost six of that size, ten foot roots, hundreds of years old. And many, many more.

Really sorry to hear that PeasandCabbage, it sounds very very saddening. Could any be salvaged? Even if they so regenerate, they need another 40 years to grow back, so I understand your FILs pain. I assume that this was after Arwen? Shoots of regrowth would come months later, but could you keep watching and let your FIL know, and promise to guard the regenerating “naturally coppiced stool” ?

A whole Forrest near me was wiped out in Arwen, literally thousands of trees. It was incredible to watch drone footage of it

This was another one near where I live. First half of video is before , then wait till you see after

fb.watch/bfP1B53kLs/

So many woods look like this now in Aberdeenshire, it's awful.

Yes arwen. Yes huge forestry plots also wiped out but not immediately on us so not the same sadness. They are still lying. Except the one which just missed my house. Will leave them and see. The holes underneath are a horror movie alone.

We have a couple of fields with some lovely trees in. Lost 10 or 12 in Arwen
Today , Eunice took down a beautiful, old oak tree
It was dead , dried up but beautiful and is now in pieces

www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/B6DE5820B390A6D8A45105AA9A483305/S0376892900028551a.pdf/the-october-1987-storm-widespread-damage-to-trees-in-southern-england.pdf

I hope you can access this vintage article about trees in the 1987 storm. The damage was exacerbated by the sodden ground, with heavy rainfall in the preceding weeks, and salt spray being blown inland. There are correlations already.

Hi @AppleButter @WesternHemlock @Peasandcabbage
I'm a wildlife writer at the Guardian & I'm looking to write a piece about much-loved trees that have been felled by Storm Eunice. You all speak very fondly of trees that you have loved in this thread & I wondered if you might be interested in speaking to me for the feature?

If so, please drop me an email at [email protected]
I am looking to chat to people in the next day or two. Would be great to speak to you,
many thanks & best wishes,
Phoebe

Hello @Phoeb0 - I look forward to reading your article but I don’t need to be part of it. Luckily my walnut survived. I would be really interested in your article to read about the size at which the affected trees were planted - i would guess that grafted saplings, or those transplanted as 3-5 year old saplings, would do less well than trees that had planted themselves i.e. by air travel of seeds or walnuts squirreled away. And whether there were any Mother Trees nearby. Thanks for contacting us though.