Should the Forestry Commission Wales be restoring our ancient woodland, or planting another crop of conifers?
The 14th October is the deadline for a crucial consultation that will have an impact on Wales’ ancient woodland for years to come. The Forestry Commission Wales has been entrusted to look after the Welsh Assembly’s woodlands and they are organising a consultation on how they should do this, on behalf of the Assembly.
While there is much to welcome in the consultation document, particularly what it says about restoring ancient woodland, and creating new native woodland, we think it’s vital that there is a public response to the consultation, welcoming what is good, and highlighting how things could be improved.
The Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw) is making a detailed response, but I hope that you as a Woodland Trust supporter will be keen to take part yourself to make clear just how important it is that the Commission take good care of Wales’ woodland, and restores those areas of ancient woodland that were planted with conifers in the last century.
There’s no cost involved, not even the cost of a stamp, because you can respond by email. But all the same, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done something really practical to protect our woodland heritage for future generations.
You can download the Welsh Assembly’s consultation document here and the Woodland Trust's full response here.
We suggest that you simply email a brief response to the Forestry Commission Wales. Ideally, it’s best to frame your message in your own words. But to make things easier, we can suggest the model response below, that you could vary and add to as you wish.
To send your response, simply highlight and copy the model response below, create an email to wwstrategy@forestry.gsi.gov.uk, paste in the model text and send it, adding to and amending your message as you see fit. The draft includes two of the questions in the consultation document. To make your response even more effective, you could send a copy of one or more of your local Assembly Members. You could find get hold of their email addresses from here.
I do hope you will be willing to take part in this important consultation. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.
Many thanks and best wishes
Rory Francis
Public Affairs Officer Wales
The Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw)
roryfrancis@woodlandtrust.org.uk
PS: Remember the deadline for responses is 14 October, so if you’d like to take part, please do so today!
Model response
fao Clive Thomas
Head of Policy and Programme
Forestry Commission Wales
Dear Mr Thomas
I am writing in response to the current consultation on the Woodlands for Wales Strategy.
There is much in the consultation document that I am delighted to welcome. Woods and trees our vital to our environment and our quality of life and I am pleased that the Forestry Commission is seeking to manage them better. Could I respond particularly to the following questions?
Question 3. We intend to increase net woodland cover in Wales. Do you:
I say: Strongly Agree
b) What opportunities or barriers do you foresee?
I am delighted that the consultation document refers to the advantages of creating new native woodland. Wales is among the least wooded countries in Europe and native woodland creation in Wales has been lagging well behind England, Scotland and even Northern Ireland. Native woodland provides a whole range of benefits in social, environmental and economic terms. However, if the Assembly is serious about creating more native woodland, then it should set a target and monitor progress towards it, as the Scottish Government has done.
Question 21: We intend to manage all Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites in line with best practice restoration guidance on the Assembly woodland estate and encourage this approach through grants for other woodlands. Do you:
I say: Agree strongly
b) What advantages and disadvantages can you see to this approach?
Ancient woodland is our richest wildlife habitat and is scarce and irreplaceable, covering only around 2% of Wales’ land area. We owe it to future generations to restore all the ancient woodland that was planted with conifers in the past.
I strongly welcome the aim restoring all planted ancient woodland sites on the Assembly woodland estate and private landowners to do likewise.
I understand, however, that there are still areas of planted ancient woodland in Wales, including the part of Wentwood Forest in the care of the Forestry Commission, where ancient woodland is being clear-felled and subjected to damaging ground preparation prior to replanting with even more conifers. I very much hope that, in line with the Assembly’s new policy, this will change and all planted ancient woodland in the care of the Commission will be gradually restored.
Yours sincerely
Your name and address
(It’s best to give a postal address, so that the Forestry Commission and your AMs can see that you do actually live in Wales!)
