Archallagan Plantation reopens to the public

It's been closed to the public since the start of the year after suffering storm damage

Archallagan Plantation has reopened to the public. 

It's been closed since the start of the year after 'devastating' storms caused damage to a large number of trees.

Significant forestry operations have been taking place ever since to make the site safe again.

The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture says it may be slightly disorientating walking through at first because of the new vistas that have been created.

Some parts of the plantation are still inaccessible because of the large amount of brash still on site, including some of the mountain bike trails.

DEFA says plans are already in place to clear a portion of this to plant more commercial tree crops, reinstate the trails and create new corridors for horse and cycle trails. 

It's also hoped the extra space can be used to expand the recreational offering in the months and years ahead.

While car parks one and two are both now open, car park three at the end of the Eairy Kelly Road will stay closed until further notice.

DEFA says it's looking forward to welcoming visitors back, but warns Archallagan continues to be a working forest, so asks people to stay vigilant for ongoing tree felling operations and to stay away from active work areas.

You can see a video of the work that's been done below: