Tree Removal at Woody Braes, Ankerville Street Tain

The Tain Common Good owns a stretch of the bank above  Ankerville Street road just past Knockbreck Primary School. Unfortunately the elm trees have Dutch Elm disease and will have to be removed both for safety reasons and also to stop the disease spreading further.  

Due to the steepness of the slope the road has to be closed to allow the work to be done safely. The road closure starts on 27th March for 3 weeks. The diversion route from Tain heading  out will take traffic onto the A9, then the B9165 along through Fearn then left onto the U1427 Newton- Balmuchy-Balintore Road. We recognise that this is a significant diversion and apologise for the inconvenience caused – but the road closure is essential to allow the work to be completed safely. To ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible weekend working has been agreed and the road closure will be in place on a 24 hour basis. The work will be completed by 17th April at the latest – sooner if possible.

We would also like to ensure the public is aware that the trees do have Dutch Elm disease. This means the timber has no value and most importantly must not be distributed or passed on to households as this could spread the disease. Arrangements have therefore been made to retain and utilise the timber on nearby land – this will help stop the spread of the disease and also minimises the cost to the Common Good. The bank will be replanted with a mix of native broadleaf trees.

We would like to apologise to all who are inconvenienced by this essential work and ask for the support of all in ensuring this timber is properly and safely dealt with and the disease prevented from spreading.