THE next phase in clearing up Storm Arwen damaged trails across south Scotland could be completed by March. 

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) chief are hopeful of tackling the worst-affected spots in that part of the country in the coming weeks, with chainsaw and trail repair work due to begin soon. 

With FLS staff having worked tirelessly since the storm and its 100 mph winds hit the country in late November, they have managed to open almost all of the firm's carparks in the region, around half of the 27 formal walking trails and around two thirds of the informal walking trails.

READ MORE: Storm Arwen: Amateur tree surgeons 'putting others at risk' by using chainsaws, FLS say

Martin Page, FLS’ south region visitor services manager, said: “We’ve made safe a lot of the easier to clear locations and are now turning our attention to some of the more challenging sites.

“There will be several weeks of chainsaw work, followed by some trail repair work, but we hope to have completed this by March.

"However, any serious deterioration in the weather will mean additional delays." 

For mountain bikers, some Glentress, Innerleithen and Glentrool trails are already open and the next phase of clear-up work in the Tweed Valley is focusing on the Glentress blue trail and the first half of the black trail.

Work will also be carried out on the top section of Innerleithen’s Gold, Cresta and Matador downhill trails, the top Push up Path and some of the cross country trail.

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It is also anticipated that several walking trails at Glentress, Cardrona and Cademuir will also be opened up by March.

Martin added: “We know how important the trails are for visitors and local businesses and we are doing all we can to repair the storm damage and re-open as quickly and safely as possible.

“Every day sees us move that bit closer to getting all the storm damage cleared from our visitor sites and we would urge everyone to keep checking our web pages for the latest updates.”

READ MORE: Storm Arwen: Mairi McAllan warns Scotland's forests will take 'centuries' to recover

As we have told previously, it is estimated around 20 per cent of Scotland's annual timber harvest was blown down when Storm Arwen wreaked havoc last year.

Efforts have been ramped up by FLS and the likes of Scottish Forestry and Confor to clear up the trees and salvage the timber before it goes to waste.