16 January 2007
New guide will help woodland owners unlock the hidden treasures of Wales' ancient forests
Free bilingual guide produced as part of the Restoring our Forgotten Inheritance project
The owners of ancient woodland (1) that has been planted with non-native trees, usually conifers, are being offered free advice on how these woodland jewels can be restored to their former glory. This comes in the form of an attractive, fully colour, bilingual how-to-do guide produced by the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw) as part of the Forestry Commissions’ EU-funded (2) Reclaiming our Forgotten Inheritance project.
Over 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) of ancient woodland in Wales was planted with non-native trees, mostly conifers, during the 20th century, so as to provide a supply of strategically important pit-props and reduce our dependence on imports.
Yet ancient woodlands, those that are at least 400 years old, are one of the UK’s richest wildlife habitats in terms of the number of rare and endangered species they contain (3). Conifers can threaten the fragile forest ecosystem by casting an dense shadow that smothers the rare woodland flora.
But now work is going ahead to restore many of these sites to their former glory, and the Forestry Commission Wales has established Reclaiming our Forgotten Inheritance, a £2.3 million project to protect or restore more than 4,000 hectares of plantations on ancient woodland in Wales.
The projects involves the restoration of 4,000 ha (9,846 acres) of woodland within the Assembly’s woodland estate and the provision of grants to private landowners to fund the restoration of a further 400 ha (985 acres).
One private landowner who will be making use of the guide is Tony Powell, who owns a number of woods in South West Wales, and who is using the guide to plan the future management of Troserch Woods at Llanelli, which was recently purchased for the benefit of local community at Llangennech.
He says: “As a private woodland owner in South West Wales I recommend this publication to anyone involved in woodland management. In our fast changing world, we have taken over the living spaces of our co-habitants on the planet and our greed is driving other species of animals and plants to the point of extinction. In the past 100 years in the UK, we have destroyed most of our ancient woodland heritage and it is vital that we take urgent steps to preserve what is left.
“We are bombarded with advice about this from people who have seldom set foot in a real forest. Their exhortations are politically correct, vague and confusing. The Woodland Trust is one of very few organisations which have actual experience of restoration of ancient woodland. Their detailed recommendations are succinct and practical and should form essential reading for anyone undertaking woodland conversion.”
The guide is being posted to over 200 contacts or can be downloaded for free in English or Welsh.
The Reclaiming our Forgotten Inheritance project is will be holding a workshop in the Spring to demonstrate to woodland owners how they can start restoring their woodland while adding value to the timber crop. Details will be posted on the project’s website.
For media enquiries contact:
Rory Francis (Publicity and Public Affairs Officer for Wales) on 01766 832563 or 07760 171174
Afallon, Tanygrisiau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3RH
Email roryfrancis@woodland-trust.org.uk
Or Kath McNulty of the Reclaiming our Forgotten Inheritance project on:
07765 220398
Or The Woodland Trust Press Office email media@woodland-trust.org.uk or Tel 01476 581121
Notes for editors
1. Ancient woodland (land that has been continually wooded since at least AD1600) is one of our richest habitats for wildlife being home to more species of conservation concern than any other habitat (supporting some 232 species as outlined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, 1994). Ancient woods form a unique link to the primeval wildwood habitat that covered most of lowland Britain following the last Ice Age. Ancient woodland sites are irreplaceable - the interactions between plants, animals, soils, climate and people are unique and have developed over hundreds of years.
2. Reclaiming our Forgotten Inheritance is receiving a European Objective 1 grant of £1,059,586 through the Welsh Assembly Government
3. Ancient woodland supports some 232 species as outlined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, 1994, more than any other.
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.
