What happens after Storm Goretti ‘destroys’ the tree?

Storm Goretti leveled thousands of trees in Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily when it hit south-west England on 8 January – leaving property, garden and conservation charities facing their biggest restoration challenges in decades.

How does the region plan to recover and future-proof its landscapes against strong storms?

About 119 trees — some planted in the 1950s and 60s — were lost or damaged at Mount St. Michael this month.

Cornwall Council called the storm “the most severe in living memory”.

“It’s sad to see the change of scenery,” said Henry Matthews, head of land and property at St Aubyn Estates Ltd, which owns St Michael’s Mount and nearby Friendship Woods.

“Around 500 trees have been lost across the country,” he added.

“The next step is recovery, planning for the removal of fallen trees and restoration and replanting.

“We’re not doing it too soon, it’s going to be the right tree in the right place, taking into account future climate change conditions, biodiversity and landscape character.”

He added: “We will take advice from experts and there will probably be some natural regeneration but there will be some targeted replacement.”

Can more trees come down?

As well as coping with the aftermath of the storm, the people of Cornwall are also bracing for the future.

The National Trust’s chief ranger for west Cornwall, Simon Hawking, said high winds could weaken trees in the area.

“[The trees have] The wind blew and moved their root plates. Future storms mean they’re weaker.”

He said the focus is now on “future proofing”.

“The scale of the damage is hard to fathom,” he said, stepping over the broken limbs of a giant tree that fell in Goretti’s storm.

He said it was a “big moment in time” and “unprecedented” in his lifetime.

The National Trust plans to continue with its “ambitious tree-planting programme”, but in addition to clearing paths and restoring access for the public, this will allow for “natural regeneration” in some woodlands.

What trees can survive strong winds?

A few miles away, Darren Dickie of Trebah Gardens, near Falmouth, is wondering what to replace the surviving 100-year-old trees.

“We will plant trees that are less wind-damaged,” said the head gardener.

“The trees we lost were too tall and vulnerable to strong winds.

“We can see some native trees that didn’t suffer too much in the storm. It could be holly.

“[It’s] Trees that can withstand those extreme conditions and drought, as climate changes,” he added.

Fiona Curtis, a tree surgeon who works at the National Trust’s Godolphin Estate near Helston, said she had “never seen anything like it before”.

“We are cleaning the streets, removing trees from houses,” she said.

“There are a lot of damaged trees that need to be sorted and I hope that storms like this don’t become regular.”

How do experts choose climate-sustaining trees?

Comparisons have been made between Storm Goretti and the Great Storm of 1987, which devastated the south of England.

“When you lose so many trees in one place, it’s really distressing,” said Cecily Withall of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London.

About 700 trees were lost there in 1987.

“At any point in Kew, if we lose a tree within our landscape, it’s really important to choose a species that can live longer,” she said.

“We look at the longevity and drought resistance of those trees and choose something that will be there for the next 100 plus years.

“But it’s really important to note that no matter how we plant and care for our trees, Mother Nature always wins if she wants to.”

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