The damage was largely confined to recently thinned crops in East Devon close to the sea and will account for about 5,000 tonnes, one-quarter of Clinton Devon Estates’ annual sustainable harvest, said John Wilding, the Estates’ head of forestry and environmental economy.
The estate owns and manages 25,000 acres and harvests around 20,000 tonnes of Forest Stewardship Council certified timber. The losses are predominantly Douglas fir, Corsican pine and Sitka spruce. and harvesting teams have switched from programmed work to clearing windblown trees. The work is expected to take two more months.
"Each year we harvest thousands of tonnes of trees from our commercial crops. This wood is used locally and regionally in a range of areas, including building, fencing and wood fuel," said Mr Wilding.
Clinton Devon Estates uses a range of sawmills. The trees will be sent to RF Giddings near Southampton and AJ Charlton in Frome, with fencing timber to LEL Timber and Centreline Fencing. Wood chips are produced on site for its own biomass.
"There is a healthy and expanding market for home-grown timber. It is now being recognised once again as a major building material, not only for its properties of strength and versatility, but also because it is so sustainable," Mr Wilding said.
"This year many trees across the country were affected by the storms. For us it is another thinning cut and we are amending our plans to pick up what is already down."|
