Made famous for their starring role in the hit TV drama Game of Thrones, beech trees in the Dark Hedges face an uncertain future after being torn down by Storm Arwen. Dr Terry Mabbett asks what’s next for the Northern Irish landmark.
BEECH trees in the ‘Dark Hedges’ made famous by the TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones have been brought down by Storm Arwen. The iconic beech tree tunnel on the Bregagh Road near Armoy in County Antrim in Northern Ireland also suffered losses during Storm Hector in 2018. The ‘Dark Hedges’ became a popular tourist attraction following the success of the TV series.
Two of the 90 trees, estimated to have at least 250 years on the clock, came down in the early hours of Saturday, November 27, at the height of Storm Arwen.
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A yellow weather warning was in place on Friday and Saturday (November 26 and 27) across Northern Ireland. The strongest gust recorded by the Met Office in the country during the storm was 87 mph at Orlock Head in County Down.
Pictures indicated the failed trees had been blown over and uprooted, not uncommon for large ancient and veteran beech trees. Beech trees such as these, with a top-heavy biomass bulk above ground, but supported by an extremely shallow root system, frequently end their days in this way.
The beech trees are pollards, having been cut appropriately at some point in their growth and development, but even so, 250 years is pushing hard at sell-by date for common beech.
Large beech trees with twin stems often suffer cleavage-type wind damage where one side of the tree is essentially lost. Boles may snap in strong winds if there are extensive cavities inside the tree.
Another factor working against the stability and sustainability of these roadside beech trees is some obvious changes in the nature and intensity of road traffic over the years, clearly impacting on the trees because of their relatively shallow root system. Not to mention the increasing levels of traffic pollution over the last century.
In 2017 there was a move to ban traffic from the area but not entirely successful.
Bob McCallion from the group Save the Dark Hedges told BBC News how it is a certainty that more trees will be lost in the future.
“As the tree line diminishes and there is less shelter, you will lose them,” the campaigner said. The trees of the Dark Hedges, originally comprising 150, were planted around 1775 by James Stuart to ‘frame’ the avenue leading to his home at Gracehill House.
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“The management situation of the Dark Hedges and the actual road itself is not what I would consider ideal,” added McCallion, who has been campaigning for more protection for many years, but said progress is “virtually non-existent or very slow”.
He said: “We need to have a specialist body that will manage the Dark Hedges and influence some of the other stakeholders like the road service and the council to assist them in protecting the trees.
“And because there is nobody in charge you have a situation where it’s basically a free-for-all.”
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