Richard Baines, the man killed by a falling tree during Storm Boelo, was a leading botanist who had spent years protecting Scotland's botanic gardens from previous mega storms. The 60-year-old died at the scene after being struck while walking in Mid Kelton near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway at 10.30am on Sunday, October 25. He is survived by his wife and two children and is believed to be the only fatality during the extreme weather in Scotland.
Curator at Logan Botanic Garden
Baines was curator of the Logan Botanic Garden near Stranraer, part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RGBE) network, which includes four gardens across Scotland: the main garden in Edinburgh, Dawyck near Peebles, and Benmore on the Cowal Peninsula. He helped protect these gardens during previous bad weather.
On December 7, 2021, Storm Barra hit the garden, causing the loss of around a dozen trees and widespread damage to many rare specimens. Baines described the destruction as "heartbreaking".
Previous Storm Damage
He said at the time: "This is the fiercest storm I have experienced in my 15 years as curator of the garden and it's heart-breaking to witness the damage and destruction of so many important trees. It's another clear example of the impact of climate change on our natural environment and why the work of RGBE in researching and helping to conserve biodiversity is so crucial."
Storm Barra damaged Logan's star attraction, the rare Polylepsis australis tree, known as the "filo pastry tree" because of its flaky bark. In November 2021, Storm Arwen caused huge damage at Dawyck Botanic Garden, and in February 2022, Storm Malik wreaked havoc at the Edinburgh garden. Benmore Botanic Garden, which often bears the brunt of stormy weather, "emerged relatively unscathed with only minimal branch damage," according to the RGBE newsletter.
Legacy of Protection
Baines led the operation to clear up the damage of the stormy winter of 2021/22 and was involved in efforts to better protect the RGBE network against wild weather. In January 2025, Storm Eowyn hit Scotland with winds of up to 89 mph, which ripped through Logan Botanic Garden. Although 70 specimens were lost, the damage was not as catastrophic as it could have been because Baines and his team had planted a hedge around the entire site as a windbreaker, retaining the vast majority of Logan's living collection, including the UK's largest prickly myrtle tree.
Paying tribute, RGBE said: "Richard has been an amazing Curator at Logan Botanic Garden, a champion for plants, an inspirational horticulturalist, and a friend to many. It will however be for his enthusiasm for plants that he will be remembered through significantly increasing and expanding the plant collection at Logan, participating and leading fieldwork in China, Canary Islands and Vietnam from which seven plant species are currently being published that are new to science. Richard was an outdoor pursuit's enthusiast whose interests included fishing, travelling, pickleball, tennis, and walking. Richard's contribution as an enthusiastic plantsman... has been immeasurable, and he will be deeply missed."
Baines was also department head for Forestry, Horticulture and Environment at SRUC Barony Campus in Dumfries. Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: "We were saddened to hear of the death of Richard Baines, who was killed during Storm Boelo on Sunday. In his role, Richard oversaw student input to the traditional estate walled garden and innovative projects such as the development of the Forestry Technology Centre. Our thoughts are with Richard's family and friends."
