MOTORISTS using a main road between Dolgellau and Machynlleth face several months of disruption while 22 hectares of huge unstable trees are felled before they come crashing down on passing vehicles.

Natural Resources Wales is to start felling the trees on a steep bank next to the A487 near Corris.

Contractors on The Bont Evans Tree Works and Stabilisation project, will soon begin installing a 900-metre-long catch fence along the bottom edge of the woodland before they start to clear 22 hectares of trees – approximately the size of 30 football pitches.

Safely removing the larger trees, which are twice the size of Machynlleth town clock and weigh up to 12 tonnes, is “high risk” and more traffic management will need to be in place.

Jared Gethin, BETWS project manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “These trees have become unstable and the risk that they could fall onto the road and cause an accident is increasing.

“And this also a complex project because the trees are growing on a steep bank, which is up to 50 degrees in some places, and right above the busy main road.

“The catch fence needs to be in place before felling can start, to stop debris falling on the road from the bank above.

“We hope to have the fence in place in the spring, but the timings will vary depending on how the work progresses.”

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