THE last larch in the Burrator plantation was finally felled last week after months of work by contractors working on behalf of South West Water and South West Lakes Trust, writes Mike Kinsey.

The felling was ordered as an attempt to limit spread of the Phytophthora Ramorum, also known as Sudden Oak Death disease, which has been affecting a range of susceptible trees and shrubs across South West England and Wales.

The felling of great swathes of forestry around the reservoir is striking in the landscape and has drawn much attention.

Contractors Steve Hann and Dave Ebdon (pictured) have been steadily working away with their 1967 timber tractor at clearing the saleable trunk timber. The trees were planted 60 to 70 years ago, along with other species, notably spruce, which has a darker foliage, and will remain standing.

Dave said: 'At the start, everyone took an interest — but now we have hardly spoken to a soul up here for months.'

The duo have several months of work left to do, clearing all the self-regenerated growth.

'We'll have to walk every square metre of the ground, it all has to go,' said Dave.

Steve drags out the trunks with a 1967 Swedish-built tractor, normally with his dog Bullet as co-driver!

He said: 'It might be old, but it works well — so long as the ground is dry enough, given the slopes, to get onto. We had a harvester up here for the larger flatter areas, but this works well up here. The nature of the ground means that hand-felling is the backbone of the job.'

The scene might look a mess at the moment, but it will heal surprisingly quickly, and after a required break of several years broadleaved replanting is likely.