Message from NRW following Storm Darragh

Posted on 11th April 2025

In south west Wales, we’re facing an enormous challenge in recovering from Storm Darragh, one of the most destructive weather events in decades.

Our windblow surveys, which examine the numbers of trees that have been uprooted and blown over, have identified that the scale of the impact is vast, with up to 900 hectares of windblow on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate (WGWE) with Carmarthenshire and other areas of south west Wales impacted the worst.

Recovery will be a long-term effort that could take up to three years.

Despite the difficulties, we are making steady progress, prioritising safety, reopening access points, and supporting local farmers.

We truly appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate this complex recovery process.

 

Impact of Storm Darragh

Storm Darragh was a once in a 20-to-30-year event, causing significant damage across   Carmarthenshire with surveys to date recording up to 340 hectares of windblow – that works out at the size of roughly 480 football pitches.

Wind damage results from a combination of storm gusts, soil conditions, tree species, topography, and wind direction. Most of the damage this time was caused by north-easterly winds, which were unusual for the region.

  • The Brechfa  and Caio areas were hit hard, with ongoing assessments to confirm the full scale of damage.
  • Boundary fences have been impacted, and inspections are ongoing. Many fence repairs cannot begin until large scale tree removal has taken place
  • Public access remains severely affected, with many Public Rights of Ways (footpaths, bridleways, Byways Open to All Traffic) inaccessible.  Surveys are ongoing to understand the scale of the impact and clearance work required.
  • Many of NRW’s promoted walking trails are inaccessible and closed for safety reasons.
  • We urge visitors to check our website for up-to-date information and follow on-site signage.

 

Forest Update: Carmarthenshire – 11th April 2025

We continue to make progress in our response to the recent storm damage affecting forest areas across Carmarthenshire.

Key updates include:

  • Access assessment: initial assessments of rights of way are now underway to identify obstructions and prioritise clearance efforts.
  • Working with farmers: we are actively working with local farmers to address issues along boundary fence lines.
  • Coordination with Local Authority: engagement continues with the Local Authority, to coordinate safe access and clearance activities on highways, unclassified roads and byways.  Local Authority Contractors have cleared the Byway running through Graig Forest and are moving onto clearing the byway from Nant y Ffin to Gwernogle & Pant y Bettws.
  • North Crychan: tree clearance along the unclassified road in North Crychan is progressing well and is on track to be completed by Wednesday 16 April 2025. NRW Forest Operations Teams will be moving from North Crychan into Brechfa Forest where they will be working to clear more areas of windblow from byways and sections of Bridle ways.

Crychan Forest Car Parks (Brynffo, Cefn farm and Esgair Fwyog) are open providing access along forest roads for walking, cycling, horse riding and carriage driving. All walking trails remain inaccessible. 

Halfway Forest is open, providing access for walking, cycling and horse riding along our forest roads. The Halfway Woodland Walking Trails (Nant y Dresglen and Melyn y Glyn Walking Trail) are open

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