Farmers and other owners of small woodlands have received new guidance to help them clear trees damaged by recent winter storms.
The guidance is aimed at woodland owners who may not have experienced windblow of this scale before and are not sure of the steps needed to manage the damage.
A top ten checklist, supported by a more detailed information note, is now available online, produced by Scottish Forestry and Confor, in consultation with NFU Scotland and Scottish Land and Estates.
Storm Arwen, the most ferocious storm, was the first of the storms to hit Scotland this winter.
It was followed by storms Malik, Corrie, Dudley and Eunice, which affected the already weakened and vulnerable trees.
Scotland's environment minister Màiri McAllan welcomed the new guidance: “There are many smaller woodland owners who have not dealt with such a clear up operation before.
"This new guidance is aimed at them so that they have clear advice on dealing with the aftermath of Storm Arwen and the subsequent storms.”
Scottish Forestry has been deploying its staff to the areas most affected, with the body saying it is fast tracking necessary paperwork that is needed.
Felling Permissions, which are needed for windblow, are being dealt with in around 14 days instead of the usual six weeks, it explains.
The Forest Research agency has also been supplying satellite based data to help the industry quantify how much timber has been affected.
Andy Leitch, deputy chief executive of forestry body Confor, said: "We welcome the very practical guidance note to support woodland owners to manage the recovery of timber from storm-damaged woodlands.
"This is new territory for many of those affected and it is important to provide them with clear, pragmatic advice - as part of a coordinated approach to the wider impact of the winter storms.
"As part of this package of support, Confor has published a list of member companies who are able to offer that advice."
Guidance has been issued previously to help farmers and other small woodland owners make best use of quality hardwoods that have been brought down by the storms.
