Wood from Europe's oldest wych elm could be repurposed by community groups and artists after it finally toppled at historic Beauly Priory; Site manager Historic Environment Scotland (HES) considering possibilities
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Wood from the remains of Europe's oldest wych elm could be repurposed by community groups and artists after it toppled over in the grounds of Beauly Priory.
The tree, thought to be about 800 years old, was the last survivor of an avenue of elms at the site of the priory
But it has been ravaged by Dutch Elm Disease in recent years and yesterday, the last remnants fell over damaging gravestones and a boundary fence.
The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) which has erected safety fencing around the small part of the affected site.
Ancient tree believed to be Europe's oldest elm falls down
Update: Remains of fallen 800-year-old wych elm to be removed
A spokesperson for HES said repair work to the area will follow "in due course" while the remaining majority of the site, including the Priory Buildings, remains open to visitors.
"We’re currently looking at how we can potentially repurpose some of the timber from this special tree which has been a focal point in Beauly for hundreds of years," the spokesperson said.
"Following the scheduled essential branch limbing process late last year, we donated the resulting timber to the Beauly Men’s Shed for reuse and we will again explore donating some of the wood from the elm to local community groups or artists where this is possible."
The removal of some of the tree's branches was due to health and safety concerns after tree had been in rapid decline over the past five years due to Dutch Elm disease.
"The tree was planned to become a monolith in order to retain biodiversity at the site for as long as possible," the spokesperson said.
"However, due to intense frost and thawing of the trunk over the last few months, the elm tree has sadly become unstable which led to its failing.
"Due to the tree's significance to the historic environment, our digital documentation team carried out a laser scan in 2021, which is the first time HES have scanned a tree.
"This has helped to create a detailed 3D model which can be viewed digitally for years to come."
Go to HES/BeaulyPriory for further information about Beauly Priory.
