THE National Trust is marking 30 years since the Great Storm with a series of events to remember the hundreds of thousands of trees across 3,000 acres of trust woodland that were lost in just one night back in October 1987.

Losses included a 245-year-old cedar tree in the grounds of Petworth House, in West Sussex. But the storm was also chance to re-evaluate the way the National Trust manages its woodlands.

Between 2am and 6am on October 16, 1987, winds reaching up to 110mph ripped across the South East, devastating homes, woods and gardens. Trust rangers, witnessing the devastation first hand, found it hard to bear.

The cedar, which was planted eight years before legendary landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown arrived at Petworth, was ripped out of the ground in a night of destruction that saw hundreds of trees felled by high winds.

Now a senior gardener at Petworth, Martin Sadler had only been working at the estate for 18 months when the fateful storm hit – just hours after BBC weatherman Michael Fish famously dismissed reports of an impending hurricane.

“I was only 18 and I’d never seen anything like it before,” Martin said. “The trees came down like dominoes.

“I slept through that night. I didn’t hear the storm at all. The next morning, when I drove into the park, it was completely devastated. In the park and the pleasure grounds we lost 750 trees, some in excess of 300 years old.”

Tom Hill, National Trust trees and woodland officer in the South East, said: “It’s hard to comprehend the scale of the damage.

“The statistics – though stark – can’t do justice to the heartache of our rangers, gardeners, volunteers and local communities as they woke up to a scene of chaos on October 16, 1987,” he added.

“In the time since, we’ve witnessed the natural response to this kind of phenomenon in the way that nature has healed and restored itself, alongside the extensive conservation carried out by our teams.”

In the aftermath of the storms, foresters at Petworth planted 25,000 trees, following guidelines issued by the Forestry Commission.

Petworth’s landscape manager Martyn Burkinshaw said: “The trees were planted very close together to encourage straight growth – just two metres apart.

“We’re still thinning the trees in the park and pleasure ground gardens. I think we’ll probably be doing it for at least another 10 years.

“By thinning the woodlands we can ensure the healthy growth of each tree. Allowing room for the wind to reach each tree helps them build a tolerance to the wind by growing stronger roots.”

New views were opened up by the storm at Petworth, and fallen trees exposed rings hidden for centuries, enabling the trust to date them and thereby reveal more about the history of the special places in its care.

A special exhibition runs at Nymans, West Sussex, until Sunday, November 19, and a photographic exhibition continues at Leith Hill Place, near Dorking, until Sunday, October 29.