Prepare for storms

Winds and winter storms are a common occurrence in Scotland.

We should always expect that some trees will fall over because of high winds (this is called windthrow or windblow).

Extreme storms with windspeeds greater than 90 mph, like Storm Arwen in 2021, can sometimes have devastating impacts.

These need to be carefully planned for, and managed.

When such a storm damages enough trees (Around 1 million cubic metres) it is termed a Major Windblow Event. 

Major windblow events can cause serious problems for forests and society such as:

• uprooting and breaking trees
• preventing emergency services access
• disrupting electricity, water, phone, gas services and public transport

Scottish Forestry recommends that forest owners and land managers:

• familiarise themselves with the available guidance and processes
• mitigate the risk of windthrow through informed forest planning and enhanced silvicultural practice
• develop and socialise forest-level windblow contingency plans for areas they own or manage
• ensure key staff and stakeholders are familiar with forest-level windblow contingency plans
• subscribe to the (free) Met Office weather warning service to ensure advance warning of potentially damaging winds
• investigate windblow cover/insure against losses because of wind blow where applicable and appropriate
• subscribe to the Scottish Forestry social media channels for up-to-date information during and after major storms

The frequency, scale and location of major windblow events is highly unpredictable.

On average, there is around one RED storm every year - but while major windblow events are rare (around one per decade), it must be recognised that the likelihood is increasing due to climate change.