Wye Valley North Forest Resource Plan Consultation

We asked for your comments on the Forest Resource Plan for the Welsh Government Woodland Estate in the northern Wye Valley. The Forest Resource Plan is a high level plan that determines the overall management of the woodlands, setting out the long term objectives for each woodland (ancient woodland restoration, native woodland management, or standard forestry management, for example), and the general approach to any restocking, such as with native broadleaf or coniferous species. But the plan does not go into the specific day to day management of the estate, this is provided by our Land Management and Forest Operations Team whose work the plan informs.

We had a fairly high level of responses to this consultation with 15 people taking the time to provide comments, showing how much people value the woodlands in the Wye Valley. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. We also had some feedback at our drop-in session in The Narth back in December.

There was broad support for the aims to restore and manage ancient semi natural woodland on the estate, improve biodiversity and increase the amount of native broadleaves within the woodlands. 

We had some responses with concerns over the maintenance of footpaths within our Wye Valley North woodlands and some responses were concerned about the water quality of the River Wye and how forestry may contribute to that and wanting to make sure this was factored in and managed accordingly. There were also a few concerns raised over specific specimens or groups of special trees within the woodlands and what would be happening with them.

There was some dissatisfaction about the use of the forest by off-road vehicles and the damage they are causing and also questions around Wild Boar management.

We have taken the comments received on board and they have been shared with relevant teams within Natural Resources Wales so that where possible they can be actioned or recorded to be taken into consideration for future management. The level of interest in this FRP shows how much the woodlands are valued locally and by visitors for recreation and health and wellbeing which is something we want to support and encourage.

Where wording in the objectives has not been clear, such as ‘infrastructure’ we have tried to amend this and we have also added in a specific objective around footpath maintenance.

We realise that there are certain recreational pressures that are a concern and we are working hard to change this and encourage responsible recreation. Any issues of anti social behaviour, such as illegal off-roading, should be reported to our incident hotline (03000 65 3000) and any illegal activity to the hotline and/or the police via 101. 

There were some concerns raised around forestry activities and their impact on water runoff and soil erosion, particularly in relation to the River Wye. Forestry activities follow best practice to minimise impacts on the local environment, and although can sometimes look unsightly, is carried out in line with the UK Forestry Standard and UK Woodland Assurance Scheme. The UK Forestry Standard provides guidance to ensure water run off is managed appropriately, which is followed during all our operations. We have to carry out felling operations in winter months when it is wetter to comply with protected species legislation, so we do not disturb or affect species such as dormice or birds during nesting season.

We are working hard to balance the demands on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate and the three objectives as set out in the Woodlands for Wales: The Welsh Government’s Strategy for Woodlands and Trees (2018), that they provide benefits for communities, for biodiversity and the environment, and for the economy. We are also working hard to meet the challenges provided by diseases such as Phytophthora ramorum, which has impacted larch, ash die back, and other diseases that are affecting the resilience of the woodlands.