Forestry bosses have warned of “major felling” at a north-east woodland that will close popular walking routes in coming months.
Once part of the Countesswells estate, the nearby woods are well-visited by walkers and cyclists and are famous for their large conifers.
However, chiefs at Forestry and Land Scotland, the successor to the Forestry Commission, have announced that, due to bad weather last year, a number of trees are now unsafe to the public and will have to be removed by “late autumn”.
Public events will be held in Countesswells this Saturday between 10am and 4pm to gauge public opinion about the plan.
The body has warned of planned “major felling works later in the autumn that will see the carpark and all of the forest trails close for a while”.
Neil Taylor of the local Forestry Land Scotland team, said public safety was “a priority”, but stressed local opinions were being canvassed.
He said: “Last winter, a storm blew down some of the big conifer trees near the car park but the remaining, fairly large spruce trees are now also at risk of being blown over.
“Public safety is always our top priority, so we want to take the remaining at-risk trees down before any accidents happen.
“Our information days are to show people our future plans for the area and chat over our ideas about creating a more welcoming, natural woodland with more wildlife for people to enjoy.
“We appreciate that many people feel a deep personal connection to Countesswells, so we would love to hear from them and get some new ideas about how we should manage the site in the future.”
Hazlehead, Queens Cross and Countesswells councillor John Cooke said he understood the sensitivities around historic woodlands, but argued that the safety of wood users had to be the priority.
He said: “Obviously our woodlands are important assets that help with biodiversity and helping improve air quality.
“Having said that, there are cases where trees need to be removed for safety and other reasons and I trust the expertise of Forestry and Land Scotland.”
