When Storm Arwen struck back in November 2021 it caused widespread damage across Aberdeenshire.

With mass power outages and significant structural damage to properties and local infrastructure, the intensity of the strong winds took a hefty toll on our communities.

It also had a devastating impact on forestry, with tens of thousands of trees being blown over or damaged throughout the region including many large mature trees across Aberdeenshire.

But the green shoots of recovery are about to be seen at one north-east attraction which was particularly badly affected by the mighty Arwen winds.

More than six hectares of woodland at Mintlaw’s Aden Country Park where some 4,000 trees need to be replaced are to be replanted thanks to the money generated from the sale of the felled timber.

Some 80% of the trees damaged were Spruce, with the remaining 20% being Scots Pine, and the restocking programme will see a wider range of mixed conifers being planted including Scots Pine, Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir. All council woodland plans are developed under the advice of Forestry and Land Scotland.

The contract tree-planting areas are relatively quiet in terms of visitor usage, however the areas of higher footfall will feature mainly native tree species, typically birch, oak and pine with the addition of higher amenity value trees such as flowering cherry.

Cllr Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “We have a statutory requirement to ring-fence income generated from our harvested timber for the reinstatement of damaged woodland and that also ensures we don’t need to use limited council budgets. I am delighted to see the restocking programme now getting underway at Aden which will help us to conserve this rich, historic landscape structure for future visitors to enjoy for many years to come.”

Ewan Wallace, Head of the council’s Environment and Sustainability Services, added: “By planting these commercial species, the timber production generates an income which can be then used within in the park. Tree species such as spruce and fir are a sustainable resource which captures carbon efficiently and reduces the dependence on imported timber. Timber production is a traditional activity on the Aden estate and vital infrastructure is already in place such as forest tracks to help with forest management. We are also looking to re-stock other smaller council-managed woodland sites which suffered storm damage with predominately native species to improve biodiversity.”