Beecraigs storm clear-up unlikely to be completed by the start of the summer holidays

Edinburgh Reporter

28-05-2025

Work to clear the last of the January storm damage in Beecraigs near Linlithgow is unlikely to be completed by the start of the summer holidays.
Beecraigs took the brunt of January's Storm Eowyn, and later storms, with more than 200 trees brought down. They were among thousands damaged across West Lothian.
The loss of so many trees will mean that the long- term management plans for the woodlands will have to be updated.
West Lothian Council has applied to Forestry Scotland for fast-track felling licences to tackle the last remaining areas of fallen trees. Main public pathways are now open but there is still some windblown damage off the tracks
Following reports to the Linlithgow Local Area Committee a council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: 'Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to remove the remainder of the windblown area, due to contractor availability, before the summer holidays.
'We are in the process of replacing signage to ask visitors to stay out of the windblown areas of woodland as these can be very dangerous and intend to get the remaining windblown trees cleared post-holiday period.'
Storm Eowyn had a significant impact on the woods at Beecraigs with at least 200 trees down over the main paths and tracks and many more over other paths, including the mountain bike routes, and within the woodland compartments.
Scottish Woodlands Ltd already had a harvesting contractor working for the council on another site and their contract was extended to allow them to move over to Beecraigs.
A harvester, a large machine which cuts trees, was used to clear the fallen trees off all the main paths and car parks, which was safer and quicker than if this had to be done manually.
The inhouse Tree and Woodland Operational Team went on to clear the trees across the smaller paths, which were more difficult to access by machine.
A report to the local area committee concluded: 'The Beecraigs long-term Forest Plan is due to be updated, which will take some months, and so in the interim a Felling Permission Application has been submitted to Scottish Forestry and it is hoped that they will be able to 'fast track' this to enable further clear up of windblown trees within those compartments in the most popular areas of the park.'
Councillor Sally Pattle, who chairs the local area committee told the LDRS: 'There are no paths blocked and no danger to the general public. I think there are no areas, that I as a regular user think I couldn't go.
'They are going to have to go back over a tree management plan because they have lost so many trees. We will have to rework plans.'
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter .
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