The restoration project

We purchased the woodland four years ago in 2007. It had been neglected for many years and was in desperate need of attention.

We had a management plan drawn up and presented to the Foresty Commission, who then gave us a grant under the Better Woodlands for Wales scheme towards the costs of carrying out the work. The grant work was to be spread out over five years. The main objective is to return the woodland to native species.

The restoration project began by removing the Douglas Fir from the plantation in the central portion of the woodland. These being the darkest of the softwoods shading the woodland floor all year round. We also thinned half of the larch. This was completed in our second year of ownership.

Our third year was spent removing the non-native Southern Beech (Nothafagus Procera). The Nothafagus had been planted between the oaks, as it is a fast growing species, to stop the oaks from branching out. This evidently worked as we are left with some beautifully straight oak trees.  They had however done the job they were intended for and have now been removed. most of these are now being used for production of charcoal, biochar and firewood logs.

Thinned larch

Year four was further thinning of the larch to expose the oak coppice that was struggling for light, with the intention of bringing in more light to allow them to grow up strong and straight. We also made and fitted bat and bird boxes last year. We are already reaping the benefits of these as many of then have been inhabited. We have seen an increase in pied flycatchers, redstarts and pied wagtails. We did however find a wagtail and a redstart nesting in the sawmill!! This rendered the sawmill out of action until they had fledged. Ironic really as we were supposed to be milling timber at the time for orders of bird boxes! Perhaps they were trying to tell us something!

Year five, this years aims are to thin out the oaks, taking out any of the weaker ones leaving the strong staight ones to reach they're full potential. The wood from these are now being innoculated with mushroom spawn to hopefully in a couple of years time produce a nice crop of shiitake and oyster mushrooms, which we hope to sell at farmers markets and restaurants.

 

Some of the oaks to be thinned

 

Quite a lot of the remaining oaks are ready for their final thinning and respace, in some areas they are already at their final spacing and are already quite large standards.