50 TREES including rare specimens were uprooted at Bodnant Garden during Storm Arwen, causing "highly significant" damage to the world-renowned conservation site, the National Trust has said.
Gale-force winds brought down swathes of trees across North Wales and the north of England, including at the Conwy gardens, which the charity has described as "a huge blow to British heritage".
The trees included a 51m ‘Champion’ coast redwood - the largest of its kind in Wales, and many hybrid rhododendrons that are unique to the property.
“In horticultural terms, what has happened at Bodnant is highly significant," said Andy Jasper, Head of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust.
"We’ve lost some of our most important and earliest specimen trees and unique rhododendrons – and the extent of the damage is still unfolding. It’s a huge blow to British heritage.
“With it being National Tree Week we had expected to be celebrating the extraordinary trees in our care – not witnessing the scale of destruction we have. But this week has taken on a new significance for us, and we’re asking our supporters to donate, if they can, to help us restore the places affected.
“Our gardens and landscapes will take months to clear up and years, even decades, to fully restore. Some won’t be the same again but I have no doubt that our amazing teams will recreate these much-loved places and reopen them for everyone to enjoy. We will also make sure that this restoration work is as resilient as possible to extreme weather events of this kind, which are becoming ever more common as the climate changes."
Bodnant garden is one of the most significant in the country, famous for its rare and exotic plants, five National Collections and Wales’ largest collection of UK Champion trees.
The full extent of the damage was still being assessed at National Trust sites across Wales and England on Wednesday, but it is believed the restoration could amount to at least £3million.
But the clear-up at Bodnant alone is expected to take several months.
Acting head gardener at Bodnant Garden Adam Salvin said: “It’s been a real shock to staff and volunteers coming in to see the devastation caused in one night. There have been tears. We’ve seen storms and floods here before but this damage is on a scale not seen in living memory.
“The area worst affected is Furnace Wood where we’ve done major renovation work over the last decade. The storm has ripped through that hillside. It’s very hard to witness. But nature will recover. We will bounce back.”
General Manager John Walker added: “The whole team have been fantastic and we’re trying to focus our energies now on the big clear up. We’ve been flooded with support from visitors and well-wishers too and that is buoying everyone up.”
Janet Finch-Saunders, MS for Aberconwy and shadow minister for climate change, said she was "deeply upset" by the damage at Bodnant Garden and called for actio to build more "storm resilient communities" across Wales.
She said: "Storm Arwen was another stark reminder of the power of mother nature, with the occurrence of these extremely high wind speeds set to increase as a result of global climate change. I am deeply upset to have now received reports about the extent of the damage caused to Bodnant Garden.
“In recognising the ecological damage that Storm Arwen has wrecked, with many older and special trees felled across the constituency, yesterday I called on the Minister for Climate Change to make a statement on the measures that the Welsh Government will take to ensure that we have more storm resilient communities.
“It is essential that National Tree Week is used as an opportunity for our organisations to discuss how we can safeguard our biodiverse habitats from some of the more extreme weather patterns experienced, especially given the flood and heat management benefits that we know these trees provide.”
At the National Trust site in Wallington, Northumberland, over half of a 'generation’ of veteran trees were lost as winds reached speeds of up to 98mph in the region.
Staff at the estate reported the worst destruction caused by a storm in 40 years with thousands of fallen trees, including over half the 250-year-old oak and beech trees planted by Sir Walter Calverley Blackett, as well as the Atholl Larch – the last remaining of six larch trees given to the property in 1738 by the Duke of Atholl – which had been split in two.
The property is without power, phone lines and water, and all footpaths are blocked.
Storm Arwen struck on Friday with gale-force winds and snow hitting many parts of the UK.
On Wednesday, Lake District staff were still counting the number of trees to have fallen, with the final total expected to be in the thousands.
Hundreds of trees have been lost on historic estates such as Wray Castle on the west shore of Windermere, Fell Foot and Sizergh near Kendal, with many footpaths still closed.
In places such as Tarn Hows, a 19th Century designed landscape once owned by Beatrix Potter, fallen trees and debris are blocking access roads and paths, making rangers’ job of assessing the damage even harder.
Other properties that were badly affected included Hardcastle Crags in West Yorkshire, Erddig near Wrexham, Cragside in Northumberland and Attingham Park in Shropshire.
The Trust has asked supporters to donate to its Woodlands fundraising appeal, which it said would contribute to the restoration of Bodnant Garden.
Visitors to National Trust sites in North Wales and England are being asked to check property websites before setting out. Some remain closed, while walking routes may have changed.
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