Gardens staff 'devastated' at loss of Edinburgh's tallest tree

Angie Brown

BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter

Simon Milne with the fallen Himalayan cedar in The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

BBC Simon Milne stands beside the fallen tree. There are snapped branches everywhere. He is wearing a blue fleece jacket and blue trousers. He has grey hair and glasses. — Simon Milne with the fallen Himalayan cedar in The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The man in charge of the tallest tree in Edinburgh said he is “devastated” it has been felled by Storm Éowyn – 166 years after it was planted during a visit by Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Albert.

Simon Milne, Regius Keeper at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said his “heart sank” when he walked over the hill and saw the 100ft (30m) Himalayan cedar lying on the ground.

He told BBC Scotland News it was one of 15 trees uprooted or broken beyond recovery in Scotland’s national botanical collection, with a further 25 others badly damaged.

The species of tree is known to live for 600 years in its native habitat so it was not in its later stages of life.

The 166 year old tree was 100ft (30ft) tall

RBGE The tree trunk lies on the ground infront of a large stump amid a lot of green foliage. there are other trees in the background. — The 166 year old tree was 100ft (30ft) tall

Mr Milne said it would take many generations to see another cedar “of this magnitude” in Edinburgh again.

“I’m very sad for the loss of these very special specimens,” he said.

“These are all special trees with a history and with botanical and conservation value.

“I’m sad for the visitors as this was one of the favourite trees in the garden.

“I also feel very much for our staff who tended all these trees. The mood is sombre because the staff are passionate about the botanical collection.”

Mr Milne and his staff made the discovery on Saturday, the day after Storm Éowyn struck Scotland.

Simon Milne said he was ‘devastated’ by the loss of the cedar

Simon Milne beside the fallen tree. A large stump remains. Mr Milne has grey hair and is wearing glasses and a blue fleece. — Simon Milne said he was ‘devastated’ by the loss of the cedar

At least 150 panes of glass were also smashed in the garden’s hot houses during the storm, which saw wind speeds reach 100mph.

Mr Milne said staff had since wrapped many of the tropical plants in material in a bid to protect them from Scotland’s wintry weather while the windows are being fixed.

The Himalayan cedar’s wood is too brittle to make furniture, but staff hope they can find a use for it. They have not yet decided whether the stump of the tree will be left or uprooted.

The tree is currently cordoned off to the public for safety reasons but can be clearly seen from a path in the historic garden, which has now reopened to the public.

Mr Milne said they had started fundraising to cover the cost of the damage which runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds across its four sites across Scotland: Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck, and Logan.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is home to one of the largest and richest plant collections in the world.

It was closed on Friday during the storm so nobody was injured by the falling trees.

The Himalayan cedar is regarded as a holy tree in its native country and its Sanskrit name means “wood of the gods”.

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