Information on forestry operations at St. James woodlands

Overview

St James update. 15/12/2023

We’re pleased to say that work to remove the infected larch trees in the northern area  of the woodland has now been completed (marked as area’s three and four on the map below)

Our contractors have now begun working on removing the infected larch trees in area two of the woodland.

We estimate that this will take approximately two weeks to complete

Important safety update

During this time, in order to allow the work to be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible and to ensure the safety of our contractors and any visitors to the woodland, we will need to temporarily close the track from the reservoir to the forest road.

The public right of way from the track which runs under the powerlines to the forest road will remain open and we encourage walkers to use this route while operations are live.

Once the work in area two has been completed, the contractors will be moving to the banking identified  in area one on the map.

Due to the manual felling and winch extraction, this area will need to be completely closed during operations, as winch extraction takes longer to complete. We estimate this work could take approximately three months.

Live harvesting sites are extremely dangerous. For your own safety and the safety of our contractors, please make sure you adhere to any warning and prohibition signage within the woodlands. 

Please be aware remedial works on tracks and footpaths will be competed after the felling operations.

Thank you for your patience and co-operation whilst this work is carried out.

Find out more about visiting our forests safely here

Updated map showing operations at St James 

Update 30 November 2023

Felling operations to remove infected larch trees from this woodland are now due to begin in December.

Although we will aim to keep as much of the woodland open as possible, we will need to close sections where the operations are taking place, to allow the work to be undertaken quickly and safely.

Whilst we do not like to close off access to our forests, which are enjoyed by many, live harvesting sites are incredibly dangerous, and this is necessary to protect the safety of our staff, our contractors, and visitors to the woodland.

Please adhere to all closures and diversion notices when they are in place. We will do everything we can to minimise disruption to the local community.

Update 20/03/23

The scheduled harvesting operation to remove approximately 18.9 hectares of larch trees that are infected with Phytophthora ramorum (more commonly known as larch disease) have been paused due to potential nesting birds in the area.

Work is now scheduled to begin in late July – early August once the birds have fledged and left their nests.

Find out more about how we protect wild birds during forestry operations

St James update – 25/10/2022

Due to some economic challenges in the timber market, the felling at St James woodland has been put on hold. We remain in close contact with our contractors and purchasers, and our working hard to resolve these issues. Operations will commence as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. 

Update on work 07/09/2022

Forest operations to remove approximately 18.9 hectares of larch trees that are infected with Phytophthora ramorum (more commonly known as larch disease) are due to take place in St James woodland this Autumn. 

The work will take approximately 9 months.

Once the felling operation is complete, the site will be restocked primarily with native broadleaves. 

What is larch disease?

Larch disease, or Phytophthora ramorum, is a fungus-like disease which can cause extensive damage and mortality to a wide range of trees and other plants. Larch disease spreads through airborne spores from tree to tree. It poses no threat to human or animal health. 

Whilst we cannot stop the spread of larch disease, we can take action to slow it down.

Find out more about our approach to tackling larch disease and Ash Dieback 

Nesting birds 

Before any work begins, we work closely with a bird surveyor to thoroughly survey the site for any nesting birds. Any nests that are found will have an exclusion zone put around them and the teams will work around the area until the birds have finished breeding and vacated the nest.

• Read more about felling during bird nesting season

Replanting

Once the diseased larch has been removed, we will replant with native Broadleave in the affected areas. 

Timber haulage

Haulage vehicles will need to regularly access the woodlands to remove harvested timber from the site. For sites which are close to communities, there will be a maximum of eight lorry-loads a day. In built up areas there will also be a further restriction on this activity to hours outside early mornings and evening rush hours.

Why your views matter

As we prepare to undertake this essential operation, we want to make sure people are aware of the planned work, understand why it’s happening and how it might impact them.

More information  

We will provide regular updates on this page about the work as the operations progress.

Read our frequently asked questions about our Forest Operations 

What happens next