Tree felling in the Oakwood

Selective felling of beech trees is to be carried out at the Oakwood on the outskirts of Elgin as part of Moray Council’s five-year management plan for the woodland.

The felling will take place in a small area between Brumley Brae and the rear of the play area at McIntosh Drive and immediately to the north of Brumley Brae.

Large mature and healthy beech have been identified as specimen trees and will not be removed.

Some thinning will also take place within the area of Scots pine to the north of Hamilton Crescent and Hamilton Drive.

The works, which will take place early in January, are necessary to ensure the continuity of the age profile of the wooded areas and to ensure regeneration.

A Moray Council spokesman said the felling of healthy trees was one that always required careful consideration.

He said: “The proposed thinning operation has been made more difficult because work that should have been undertaken over the years was not, for a large variety of reasons, carried out.”

The Quarrelwood Association has been involved in a phased replanting programme with oak saplings grown from acorns gathered in the wood and once felling operations have been completed further restocking with oak saplings will take place.

The Oakwood is one of the very few remaining ancient semi-natural woodlands in the lowlands of Moray and the planting of beech at some stage in the past has had a major effect on some areas.

Beech is a very light-dominant species with a dense leaf canopy, while oak is a light-sensitive and slower growing tree which is suffering because of its more dominant neighbour.