Storm Arwen brought wind gusts of up to 98mph, and was described by the Met Office, which gave a red warning, as one of “the most powerful and damaging winter storms of the latest decade”.
Storm Arwen caused a huge tree loss within the Lake District National Park in particular for the National Trust.
Thousands were brought down when Storm Arwen hit the area with severe winds causing chaos in November.
Among the casualties were many “champion” trees, or important examples of their species, including the UK and Ireland’s biggest beech tree.
A large number of firs and 250-year-old oak trees were also destroyed.
Three days after the storm we received a call from the forestry office for South Lakes National Trust to provide aerial footage of the damaged areas.
We were given unrestricted access to as many forest areas as possible.
The damage was heart destroying after the winds of up to 98mph had come straight down from the north along Windermere and wreaked damage.
Tress were blown over or just snapped off at the trunk.
John Moffat, who manages the South Lakes area, said: “At Wray Castle we lost quite a unique beech tree that blew down, which was the biggest in the UK and Ireland, for its girth at the base of the tree, and just down the road from there we lost a Noble Fir which was the biggest in Cumbria.”
The National Trust owns about a fifth of the Lake District National Park and there have been challenges trying to find contractors to clear footpaths and bridleways across its properties.
Footage provided to the National; Trust will be archived and also used for damage assessment.
Some footage was used by the BBC News.
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