18 March 2008
Giving new life to the traditional landscape of Meirionnydd
Generations of skilled craftsmen created the countryside architecture of Meirionnydd – especially the drystone walling that turns the hills and valleys into a patchwork of green.
Now a new generation of would-be wall-builders is learning the trade, thanks to the Meirionnydd Oakwoods Project which is working to restore oak woodlands across the county to their former glory.
Coed Cadw (Woodland Trust), Forestry Commission Wales, Countryside Council for Wales and others in the partnership project, are running a series of drystone walling courses at Coed Cymerau, near Blaenau Ffestiniog.
It is all part of the Meirionnydd Oakwoods Habitat Management project’s plan to recreate the landscape as it has existed for more than three centuries.
“The traditional drystone walls of this county are an essential part of the landscape, and although the walls are long lasting, they do need maintenance,” said Nicky Maysmor of Forestry Commission Wales, lead partner of the project.
“The walls provide a solid, beautiful barrier which keeps livestock out of the woodlands, which are being thinned and planted to encourage re-growth of
oak, ash and birch,” said Nicky.
People of all ages are already booked into the two day course at the woodland
“The courses have been well attended by all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and our hope is that some of them will continue leaning and help us to preserve a very special area,” said Rhydian Roberts of Coed Cadw.
The Meirionnydd Oak Woodlands are an important conservation area of natural woodlands and ancient woodland sites, which have been damaged and are now being managed to return them to their original state.
They are considered to be some of the best areas of Atlantic Oak Woodland in Europe and have been designated as a candidate for Special Areas of Conservation (cSAC) status.
Coed Cadw is due to carry out £700,000 of work as part of the project with half the money coming from the European Union’s Objective 1, European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) through the Welsh Assembly Government.
The other half is being raised by Coed Cadw itself, and represents a major investment in the natural beauty and wildlife of the Snowdonia National Park.
Contact:
Rory Francis (Publicity and Public Affairs Officer for Wales) - 01766 832563 or 07760 171174 Afallon, Tanygrisiau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3RH Email: roryfrancis@woodland-trust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust Press Office - 01476 581121, e-mail media@woodland-trust.org.uk
Coed Cadw (The Woodland Trust)
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 250,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). These include over 100 sites in Wales, with a total area of 1,580 hectares (3,900 acres). It offers free public access to nearly all of its sites. Further news can be accessed via www.coed-cadw.org.uk The Trust adopted a new Welsh language name in 2000: “Coed Cadw”. This is an old Welsh term, used in medieval laws to describe protected or preserved woodland.
Editor’s notes:
MOHMP is set up to care for the oak woodlands of Meirionnydd, promoting their importance to the local community, their visitors, the economy and the environment
The Meirionnydd Oakwoods Habitat Management Project is the result of several years’ work by a local partnership of government, non-government and private conservation and forestry organisations working closely with the European Union. The partner organisations include Forestry Commission Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, Tilhill Forestry Ltd, Flintshire Woodlands, the Woodland Trust, Ffestiniog Railway, the National Trust and Snowdonia National Park Authority. The project is supported by a 50% grant worth £1,111,673.00 from the European Union’s, Objective 1, European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) directed through the Welsh Assembly Government. The other 50% comes from the partner organisations and private landowners. This gives a total of £2,223,346.00 to be spent in the area over 4 years. There are 58 woodlands and a railway line included in the project area, covering 1710 hectares. The project ends in September 2008.
Objective 1 funding is designed to “narrow the gap between the development levels of the various regions”. Regions that are lagging behind usually have a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) below 75% of the Community average and typically have:
• a low level of investment;
• a higher than average unemployment rate;
• lack of services for businesses and individuals;
• poor basic infrastructure.
The European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) is designed to:
• Help preserve the link between diversified farming and the land.
• Improve and support the competitiveness of agriculture as a key activity in rural areas.
• Ensure the diversification of the economy in rural areas.
• Help to keep thriving communities in rural areas.
• Preserve and improve the environment, the landscape and the rural heritage.
The Meirionnydd Oak Woodlands are important because they are made up of natural woodlands and ancient woodland sites that have been damaged and are now being managed to bring them back to a natural condition.
The natural woodlands are considered to be some of the best areas of Atlantic Oak Woodland in Europe and so have been designated as candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSAC).
Sites designated as cSAC’s form a part of “Natura 2000”, a network of conservation sites across the European Union, aimed at protecting species and habitats that are rare, endangered or vulnerable.
Atlantic Oakwoods are found on the Atlantic fringe of Europe from Northern Scotland right the way round to Portugal. This coastal fringe is heavily influenced by the Gulf Stream, which keeps the area warm but wet. The Atlantic coastal climate creates damp humid conditions that support unique communities of ferns, mosses and liverworts, lichen and fungi. Some of the species found in these oakwoods cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Welsh European Funding Office Editor’s Notes
Together with public and private sector match funding, some £2.75bn has now been invested in Wales over the past 5 years through the European Structural Funds Programmes managed by the Welsh European Funding Office.
This level of investment has created or safeguarded over 87,000 jobs in Wales, improving prosperity, increasing opportunity and transforming communities once considered economic black spots. The primary objective of the Welsh European Funding Office is to ensure that Wales derives the maximum possible benefit from the European Structural Funds over the period 2000-06. It is part of the Welsh Assembly Government's Economic Development and Transport Group.
A range of partnership bodies in the public, private and voluntary sector delivers projects.
The Structural Funds aim to promote sustainable economic growth, increase prosperity in all parts of Wales, reduce disparities within Wales and tackle inequality, inactivity and social exclusion.
