DISEASED larch trees in a Welsh forest area the size of 32 football pitches are to be felled this winter. 

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will carry out the work in two areas of Aberhirnant Forest, near Y Bala, in a bid to stop the spread of the illness, covering 28 hectares. 

One section to be felled is located above the B4393 Rhos Y Gwaliau to Lake Vyrnwy road.

To keep people safe, traffic management will be required when the trees are felled and winched up the slope.

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The work is scheduled to start on December 1 and be completed by March 31, 2022.

Although diseased, the larch trees are a viable crop. The 8000 tonnes of trees removed will go to sawmills to be used for house building material, fencing and wood fuel.

Once the work has been completed NRW plans to replant the area with a mixture of  broadleaf and conifer trees, which will help us create a more diverse woodland which will be more resistant to disease.  This, in turn, will help local biodiversity.

Dylan Roberts, project manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “To comply with the statutory plant health notice, the trees have already been injected to stop any further spread of the larch disease. But the dead trees now need removing.

 

“Due to the challenging location above the road, the work requires traffic management to keep everyone safe. Unfortunately this means using traffic lights. All our operators will be in radio contact to keep disruption to a minimum for road users.

“We will work closely with the local community throughout the work to reduce the impact wherever possible, but our priority is to keep everyone safe and we thank everyone for their cooperation.”