THE fast-tracking of felling permissions linked to Storm Arwen in Scotland will end next month.
Scottish Forestry bosses have confirmed staff will "crack on" with other woodland creation plans from April 1, bringing to a close efforts that have seen the greenlight given to work on around 5,000 hectares of the country's forests.
Applications on a total of 7,252 ha have been submitted since 100 mph winds tore through the country in late November, with around 70 per cent of these having already been approved.
READ MORE: Storm Arwen: Felling permission sought on 7,000 ha of Scottish woodlands
Most have taken an average of 16 days to pass through the system - it normally takes six weeks.
Confirming the latest update, Doug Howieson, head of operational delivery at Scottish Forestry, said: “Staff need to crack on with other important woodland creation plans, so we will end fast tracking on April 1."
He added: “I’m really proud of what Scottish Forestry staff have achieved in supporting the industry.
"We’ve been under immense pressure but we’ve already approved the vast bulk of Felling Permissions and expect to have improved nearly all of them by the end of this month."
Storm Arwen, and it's 100 mph winds, tore through the UK in late November last year, tearing down countless trees. Estimates suggest around 20 per cent of Scotland's timber harvest was damaged at the time.
A number of further storms - including Malik and Corrie - have followed since, also affecting much of the windblown timber.
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