A popular woodland trail has re-opened in Perthshire after an extensive forestry operation to storm-proof the area.
Around 2,000 tonnes of spruce, fir, larch and birch timber have been removed from Moncrieffe Hill Wood, near Perth, since the summer.
The Woodland Trust, which led the four-month project, said the aim was to clear a windswept part of the site, leaving it less susceptible.
Thinning has left room for remaining trees to grow and will let light in to plants on the ground.
The area will now be fenced off to keep deer from eating the new young trees and native saplings will be planted next year.
A trust spokesman said: “The track upgrade has also been completed to improve the muddy section of path on the green marked route.
“We thank everyone who enjoys the wood for their patience during these works, when some path closures were necessary.”
He added: “The wood now has enhanced habitat and is in good condition to face future storms.”
Moncrieffe Hill is one of 60 sites across Scotland which is managed by the woodland conservation charity.
It is one of Scotland’s most popular walking routes and differs from other British hills because the routes to the summit – known as Moredun Top – are almost entirely under tree cover.
This year, Moncrieffe Hill has been giving up its secrets as part of an archeological dig.
A team of staff and volunteers from the Tay Landscape Partnership (TayLP) visited the hill in September in an effort to unearth an impressive prehistoric site.
The Iron Age Moredun Top hillfort was an important power centre and was likely to have been occupied for hundreds of years.
This year the team have been excavating the interiors to find out what the hillfort was used for.
The trust took on its first Scottish wood in 1984 and now looks after nearly 20,000 acres across the country.
The trust, which was established in 1972, boasts more than half-a-million supporters.
Trustees recently announced the results of its prestigious tree of the year competition. The winner was the Ding Dong copper beech which has stood for generations in the grounds of Prestonpans Primary School in East Lothian.
It beat competition from local favourites the Birnam Oak and the mighty oak at Dunkeld where fiddler Niel Gow wrote some of his most famous reels.
