Storm Éowyn clearance work at Dawyck Botanic Garden, in the Scottish Borders, and Benmore Botanic Garden, in Argyll, is receiving a significant boost this week. The arrival of arboricultural teams from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has bolstered numbers, giving the resident teams at these two internationally important sites realistic ambitions of making the sites safe and accessible to visitors this spring.
When 90mph wind gusts hit the country on January 24, 2025, 50 trees were lost from Dawyck and a massive 300 ranked among the casualties at Benmore. Both Gardens are part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and, along with the organisation’s sites in the Scottish capital, and at Logan, in Dumfries & Galloway, are important assets in global research and conservation. They are also major visitor attractions, attracting more than a million visits a year.
David Knott, Curator of the Living Collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh explained: “Our sites at Dawwyck and Benmore are home to significant tree collections and play crucial roles in our International Conifer Conservation Programme. This initiative has worked for more than 30 years, in over 50 countries in all aspects of conifer conservation. The Gardens also hold notable heritage trees dating back over centuries. It is imperative that we undertake this week’s work save as many specimens as possible and start the process of strengthening the collections once more.
“When the offer of support came from Kew, we welcomed the opportunity for our arb teams to work together and boost the sterling work already being carried out by the Dawyck and Benmore teams. Recovery is going well, clearing fallen trees and debris, removing large hanging branches, and assessing the status of remaining trees. We appreciate the additional support of the four arborists from Kew. This support echoes a similar contribution of help that the RBGE arboricultural team made at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, in 1987, after the collection there suffered significant storm damage.”
Kevin Martin, Head of Tree Collections at Kew Gardens concluded: "The damage caused by Storm Éowyn is a stark reminder of the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change. However, this also underscores the invaluable collaboration between botanic gardens, which has long been at the heart of our work. From sharing expertise to joint conservation efforts, it is crucial that botanic gardens globally work together to ensure we can respond effectively to these challenges. We are hopeful this collaboration will not only help restore the damaged sites but also spark new initiatives in plant conservation and climate resilience moving forward."
While the work looks set to continue for years, rather than months, the ambition remains that Dawyck and Benmore will open to visitors - at least partially - at the start of March. The long-term challenge is to make gardens more resilient to the increasing number of severe weather events being felt around the country every year.
ENDS
For further information, interviews or images, respond to this email, call Shauna Hay on 07824 529 028 or contact Suzie Huggins at shuggins@rbge.org.uk, 07385 491 460
Editor's notes
International Conifer Conservation Programme works around the world and with extensive partnerships in the United Kingdom and Ireland to lead efforts in securing the future of the 34 per cent of known conifer species to be endangered in their natural habitats.
Botanic Gardens have a long history of supporting one another. Edinburgh and Kew are part of a wide network under the umbrella of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) Tree conservation – including ex-situ plantings are an important part of that work. Last year, a major *survey concluded that 38 per cent of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction and 440 trees species have fewer than 50 individuals remaining
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a leading international research organisation delivering knowledge, education and plant conservation action around the world. In Scotland its four Gardens at Edinburgh, Benmore, Logan and Dawyck attract around a million visitors each year. It operates as a Non Departmental Public Body established under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985, principally funded by the Scottish Government. It is also a registered charity, managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by Ministers. Its mission is “To explore, conserve and explain the world of plants”.