Storm Goretti has caused widespread devastation at St Michael's Mount, with 119 large trees felled and around 80% of the island's tree cover lost. The tidal island off the Cornish coast recorded a gust of 111.8mph on the night of 8 January, although the Met Office said the highest in Cornwall was 99mph.
Head gardener Darren Little described the scene as 'devastating', saying years of work had been destroyed in a few hours. 'We're used to one or two trees falling in storms but nothing like this,' he said. The loss includes holm oaks, hollies, sycamores and Monterey pines the size of four-storey homes.
Among the trees uprooted was a holm oak planted to mark the birth of Prince Harry in 1984. A twisted sycamore on the east of the island, a favourite for photographers, survived, as did elms. Little warned that other trees may have been compromised by salt water spray and could fall in coming months.
The damage extends beyond the island. St Aubyn Estates, which manages the island with the National Trust, estimated it lost 500 large trees across its 5,000 acres, including a belt of pines near Penzance known as Bog Plantation and trees at Friendship Woods. The National Trust's Ian Marsh said the number lost on its properties could be in the tens of thousands.
Despite the devastation, local people have vowed to replant and restore the landscape. Little acknowledged the role of the climate crisis in stronger storms, saying 'we'll have to bear that in mind when we rethink and redevelop'. The Cornish name for the island, Karrek Loos yn Koos, means grey rock in a wood, a reminder of its forested past.
