‘We are very saddened to lose Edinburgh’s tallest tree’

The man in charge of the tallest tree in Edinburgh has said he is “devastated” it has been toppled by Storm Eowyn – 166 years after it was planted during a visit by Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Albert.

Simon Milne, Regius Keeper of The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said his “heart sank” when he walked up the hill and saw a 100-foot (30 m) Himalayan cedar lying on the ground.

He told BBC Scotland News it was one of 15 trees uprooted or broken in the National Herbarium of Scotland, while 25 others were badly damaged.

This species of tree is believed to live up to 600 years in its native habitat, so it was not in the later stages of its life.

Mr Milne said it would be generations before Edinburgh again saw another cedar “of this magnitude”.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of these very special specimens,” he said.

“These are all special trees that have history and botanical and conservation value.

“I feel sorry for the visitors as it was one of the favorite trees in the garden.

“I also feel very much for our employees who took care of all these trees. The mood is sad because the employees are obsessed with botanical collecting.”

Mr Milne and his staff made the discovery on Saturday, the day after Storm Eowyn hit Scotland.

At least 150 panes of glass broke in the garden’s hot houses during the storm, which sent wind speeds reaching 100 mph.

Mr Milne said workers had wrapped several tropical plants in material to protect them from Scotland’s cold weather while the windows were being fixed.

Himalayan cedar wood is too fragile to make furniture, but staff hope they can find a use for it. They have not yet decided whether the tree stump will be left or uprooted.

The tree is currently closed to the public for safety reasons, but it can be clearly seen from a path in the historic garden, which has now reopened to the public.

Mr Milne said he had started raising funds to cover the cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage at four of his sites across Scotland: Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawlish and Logan.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh It houses one of the largest and richest plant collections in the world.

It was closed during Friday’s storm, so no one was injured by the falling tree.

Himalayan cedar is considered a sacred tree in its native country and its Sanskrit name means “wood of the gods”.