In welcome news, Hazelwood Forest Walk, so badly damaged during Storm Eowyn, will reopen to the public on Saturday next 5th April. Hundreds of trees have been cleared, paths restored and the area made safe after several weeks of work throughout the site.

“It was a huge undertaking after what was the worst storm damage I had ever encountered,” says Coillte forest manager Brian McGarraghy, “and I want to thank our contractors and staff as well as the public for their cooperation during what was a challenging project.”

Many mature trees were lost during the storm, including what are known as ‘veteran trees’ – native species like oak, birch and ash that had withstood many storms over the decades but finally succumbed to Storm Eowyn. In what was described as ‘a mammoth task’, forestry teams worked over the past six weeks to clear the fallen trees and complete repair works.

“We lost a very significant number of trees, which included some very old ones, more than a hundred years old, some of them. And we also lost younger trees too and had to bring in tree specialists to help safely take down unstable trees that needed to be removed before the forest could be made safe,” adds Mr. McGarraghy.

Paths were also restored. As you can see from some of our photos, large trees that were located adjacent to the walking trails had been uprooted and these had caused very significant damage to paths. After the trees themselves were removed, the large holes that remained – which are called root plates – were subsequently refilled to stabilise the surrounding area. The road into the forest was also dug up due to uprooted trees, and works have also dealt with this damage.

Trees that had become dislodged but that hadn’t fallen posed a particular risk and required the involvement of tree surgeons who were able to winch the trees down to the forest floor, ensuring that other nearby trees weren’t impacted. And while the fallen trees have also led to some biodiversity and habitat loss, it is hoped that the forest will begin to rejuvenate itself over the coming months. However, it will take many years for the forest to return to its full glory as trees mature. 

In an move to promote biodiversity, some fallen trees will be left in situ to decompose naturally. Known as deadwood, these help bring nutrients back into the soil, as we as providing food and nurseries for forest animals and help growth of plant life. According to the Woodland Trust website ‘rotting stumps and dead trees are the lifeblood of any woodland. Naturally fallen branches, as well as felled wood, hold a reservoir of nutrients which are gradually released into the woodland floor as they decompose. Once they’re unlocked, these same nutrients can be reused by living trees and other plants for new growth.’

Coillte also plans an extensive programme of replanting trees, filling gaps in the forest with native species. “We will replant trees to replace the fallen ones and these will be native hardwoods. In time the gaps will become less noticeable. Nature has a great way to restore itself and the greening of the forest will occur during the rest of the Spring and Summer months,” he adds.

With works at Hazelwood largely complete, next, the Coillte team heads to Carns Hill to complete works there. They will also have a team on standby to deal with the challenges on Knocknarea, where they will work alongside Sligo County Council contractors involved in the rebuilding of the timber boardwalk. In this regard, the Council contractors will have responsibility for the boardwalk structure, while Coillte will work with them to ensure the area remains safe and that fallen or unstable trees are removed as required.

And while the public is welcomed back to Hazelwood from Saturday, they are asked to stay on the forest paths and not to enter the woodland. They are also advised to stay away from Carns Hill until closure notices have been lifted. This will be posted here on Sligo Walks. Regarding Knocknarea, the hill itself is accessible only by the Glen Road access route. Rathcarrick Wood is open as far as the top of the steps that lead to Strandhill, but no access to the summit via the boardwalk is allowed for now.

As we enjoy the warm spell, we also remind you that other woodland walks that are currently open include Benbulben Forest Walk, Glen Wood, Dooney Rock, Slish Wood and Tubbercurry Trail. We’d encourage to try some of these walks while the sunshine persists and to enjoy many of our other coastal, lakeside, rural and urban walks – information for these is provided at www. SligoWalks.ie.