Community invited to discuss Llidiad forest recovery plans
The local community is invited to a drop-in session to find out more about Natural Resources Wales' (NRW) plans to recover areas of forest around Llidiad Nenog, Brechfa, that were severely affected by Storm Darragh.
The drop-in session will take place at Llanfihangel-Rhos-y-Corn village hall on 19th of August 2026 between 3pm and 6pm. Residents are welcome to attend at any point during the session to learn more about the plans and ask questions.
In December 2024, Storm Darragh caused significant damage to forests across south-west Wales, with more than 600 hectares of woodland affected, the equivalent of around 840 football fields.
NRW has since launched a phased harvesting and replanting programme to restore damaged forests, with recovery expected to take between three and five years.
The forestry to the north-east and south of Llidiad Nenog was among the areas badly affected by Storm Darragh and previous storm events. Due to the scale of the damage, work to clear affected timber and restore the woodland will take place in phases over the coming years.
The proposed programme includes:
- Phase 1: Llidiad South (2027)
- Phase 2: Llidiad North (2028)
- Phase 3: Llidiad South (2029)
Please note that these timescales and felling boundaries are indicative and may change as plans develop.
Ellen Humphrey, Senior Officer in Forestry Operations, of NRW, said:
"Storm Darragh caused significant damage to forests across south-west Wales, and the forests around Llidiad Nenog were among the areas hardest hit.
“Recovering these woodlands will take time, but this work is an important step in restoring the forest and ensuring it continues to provide environmental, economic and recreational benefits for future generations.
“We understand local people will have questions about what this means for their community, so we're encouraging residents to come along to the drop-in session to meet the team, learn more about the plans and share any concerns."
To support the recovery programme and help reduce impacts on the local community, NRW is improving forest infrastructure in the area. Work is due to begin in August to reinstate a disused haulage route and upgrade an existing forest harvesting track, creating a new connection into the wider Brechfa East forest block.
Once completed, these additional routes will help reduce the number of timber lorry movements passing through Llidiad Nenog by allowing timber to be transported through the Sifigwm entrance where possible.
The harvesting work will involve removing windblown and unstable trees to help reduce the risk of future windblow. Wherever possible, unaffected areas of standing trees will be retained.
NRW is also continuing to manage areas of Japanese Knotweed within the affected forest blocks. Measures are in place to prevent the spread of the invasive plant during operations, although a particularly dense area of knotweed currently limits access to the new haulage routes from Llidiad South.
The recovery work will be followed by replanting to establish the next generation of woodland and bring affected areas back into the forest cycle.
Around 100 hectares of windblown trees have already been incorporated into existing harvesting operations, with plans in place for the remaining affected areas. NRW teams have also cleared 35 kilometres of blocked forest roads and trails and, where possible are repairing damaged boundary fences with neighbouring landowners.
NRW recognises that recovery work can affect access and recreation and would like to thank communities for their patience and understanding while work progresses. The programme is being carefully managed to balance recovery efforts with environmental protections, public access and ongoing forest management.
To read more about the scale and impact of Storm Darragh in South West please click here: Storm Darragh recovery: south-west harvesting and replanting programme - Natural Resources Wales Citizen Space - Citizen Space
For more information about visiting our forests during harvesting operations please watch: Visiting our forests safely
To learn about the lifecycle of the forests on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate please watch: Lifecycle of our forests and woodlands - YouTube