Felling begins to remove diseased trees

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is starting work to fell diseased larch trees at a Welsh beauty spot.

The trees at Mynydd Deulyn, in the Conwy Valley, in a forest block covering 9.5 hectares at Llyn Crafnant near Trefriw, have become infected with Phytophthora Ramorum, commonly known as larch disease.

A Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN) has been issued which requires NRW to act within a set period of time to control the disease, which can spread quickly through a woodland or forest, killing whole trees.

Work will start in the week commencing Mid-March and is set to last three months.

Harvesting operations will take full account of the presence of, and possible impact on any protected species, and their habitat.

Closures

Kath McNulty, NRW’s Team Leader for Forest Operations in North West Wales, said: “To comply with the notice, the trees will need to be removed to reduce the spread of larch disease.

“Due to the location of the site on a steep slope, work requires access management to keep everyone safe and may mean temporary public right of way closures.

“We will work to reduce the impact on the local community wherever possible and no forest operations will take place at weekends.

“Our priority is to keep everyone safe, and we are asking members of the public to follow any signage in place during the work.

“We would like to thank everyone in advance for their cooperation.”

Access

Residential, agricultural and third-party accesses will remain open at all times, but may be subject to short delays while timber lorries are uplifting.

If you have any enquiries regarding this work, please contact North West Wales’ Forest Operations Team on 0300 065 3000 or email gweithrediadaucoedwigoeddgogleddorllewin@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk