Llangattock Community woodlands management plan 2009

Llangattock Woodland Group has been formed to deliver a sustainable woodland activity to link into The Green Valleys – Llangattock. The GreenValleys is a Community Interest Company (CIC), run by volunteers from the BreconBeaconsNational Park and surrounding areas. The organization aims to enable community groups across the Brecon Beacons to reduce their carbon emissions and generate electricity and revenue from hydro power and other renewable energy resources available to us. Hydro power is one of the most abundant natural resources we have but woodlands have been recognised as a fuel harvest. The Llangattock Woodland Group is one strand of the local support group for The Green Valleys (CIC). The Llangattock Woodland Group is a constituted community group and will be seeking support and grant funding in relation to woodland management.

Purpose of group

To create an organisation that can utilise opportunities to put the diverse local woodland back into productive and sustainable management whilst stimulating biodiversity, improved access, creating volunteering and recreational opportunities, local education and employment opportunities.

Goals

  • Enable biodiversity
  • Create a local, co-operative sustainable woodland management model
  • Stimulate local education
  • Develop products from woodland e.g. Enable local wood to become a greater part of local energy solution, charcoal, wood crafts, timber
  • Create local jobs
  • Bring woodland management under one umbrella to leverage economies of scale through co-operative structure.
  • Volunteering
  • Recreational opportunities
  • Improved access
  • Enhancing scenic value of site for both residents and visitors

The Llangattock woodlands group has been developed to ensure that woodlands in the surrounding area are sustainably managed. Woodland is an extensive but currently undermanaged resource and its sustainable use offers many benefits to carbon and water storage, the conservation of biodiversity and soils, recreational and educational opportunities and the development of local skills and economic base.

Woodland management objectives:

Through active community management of woodland, the group aims to:

  • Provide a sustainable crop of wood fuel and other timber products.
  • Maintain and increase biodiversity value and deliver LBAP targets
  • Provide training in woodland management skills to the community
  • Provide educational and recreational opportunities where appropriate
  • Develop financial viability of woodland products by developing local markets
  • Increase the area and connectivity of woodlands to add resilience to ecosystem responses to climate change.

General management tasks

A number of generic management tasks need to be completed for each woodland. All of these tasks are performed monthly or as required.

Checking for hazards and condition of furniture:

  1. Sites should be checked regularly to identify any hazards such as fly-tipped material or hung trees and branches. Condition of gates, fences and stiles should also be checked regularly. Risk Assessments for each site will be prepared and used to develop a monthly checklist. This will ensure that issues are noted early and dealt with promptly.
  1. Clearing litter /fly-tipping: Small litter should be collected in plastic bags and disposed of via waste collection. Instances of fly-tipping should be reported to the local authority. Any toxic or dangerous material should be reported to the Environment Agency for collection.
  1. Maintenance of fences, gates, stile and other furniture: This will need to be performed as required. If a piece of furniture is dangerous because of its condition it should be taped off and repaired/replaced as soon as possible.

Record wildlife sightings

There are few records for these woodlands and so any records are valuable. Organised surveys involving volunteers and local experts can provide information to help manage the wood and offers opportunities for anyone to become involved.

Providing bat/bird/mammal boxes

Where required, artificial nest boxes can be erected at appropriate places. Advice from the Brecknock Bat Group will be taken when siting bat boxes.

Fixed point photography

If possible a photographic record is a simple way to record the effects of woodland management. Position and angle of photographs need to be selected and then marked so that it can be repeated. April will be the best time to set up and repeat fixed point photography.

Timetable of works

Management plans must relate to the amount of resources available to undertake management. Management has been based around the availability of 50 person hours per month. This equates to 10 volunteers, working a 5 hour day, once per month. This time is in addition to any time required to administrate the Llangattock Woodlands Group.

There is some flexibility in the timetable as grant deadlines and leases will have to be dealt with as they arise. However, to prevent disturbance to wildlife, all forestry management must be completed in the 5 months October-January. Other tasks should be timetabled in spring and summer, to allow a focus on practical management throughout winter.

Month / Task
January / Felling, thinning and coppicing
February / Felling, thinning and coppicing
March / Cut back paths to allow summer growth
Clear work site
Make safe any trees or hung up branches
April / Vegetation surveys, grant bids, leases, photography
May / Access works and maintenance
June / Wildlife Surveys, events, interpretation, maintenance of furniture
July / Wildlife surveys, events, interpretation, maintenance of furniture
August / Timber storage, processing and distribution
September / Plan and decide locations of felling, thinning and coppice
October / Felling, thinning and coppicing
November / Felling, thinning and coppicing
December / Felling, thinning and coppicing

Protecting of wildlife

While it is an objective to deliver improvements to woodland habitats and wildlife, some protected species require special consideration. Trees potentially containing bat roosts need to be identified and retained through appropriate tree management. Otter may be present at waterside woodlands and so their presence must be taken into account. All woodland management will take place outside of bird nesting March-September. Hazardous trees need to be identified early so that tree management can be planned rather than reactionary.

Whenever the skills are available, woodlands will be surveyed to identify the presence of protected species. Any other species sightings should be recorded and the information sent to BIS.Specific management will take place where protected species are known to occur. Before undertaking management, expert advice will be sought to ensure compliance with the law and adequate protection for the species.

Thinning

The aim of thinning woodlands is to provide enough light and space for growing trees to spread branches and develop healthy growth. In most undermanaged woodlands, tree growth is generally crowded with tall, thin-stemmed trees of similar age. This encourages windblown trees, does not provide a varied structure within the wood and prevents regeneration.

To undertake thinning trees that exhibit vertical growth, those with better developed canopies and any others deemed worthy of selection due to species of amenity value will be retained. The immediate area around the selected tree will be cleared of growth. In most cases, trees removed by thinning will be allowed to regrow and form part of the coppice. Thinnings will be used for woodfuel and retained on site the form deadwood.

Deadwood is essential to the woodland habitat. Deadwood will not be allowed to fall below 10 cu m per ha. Where possible the volume of deadwood will be higher than this. Partially rotted timber and tree falls will be left to form deadwood piles.

Coppicing

Coppicing produces a sustainable supply of useful timber. Different species were used to provide different products and grown on a rotation that allowed for the maximum amount of timber to be produced. Coppicing will take place in both formal coups and selectively through woodland areas. Standards will be retained throughout the coppice to ensure canopy cover is maintained. When coppicing formal coups, scalloped rather than straight line edges will be produced.

Ash : Ash coppices readily and is found alongside oak as the most frequent canopy species across the Brecon Beacons. Existing ash trees will be favoured for drawing in to coppice rotation but good growth standards and veteran/mature trees will be retained. Principle product will be woodfuel.

Birch: Birch is a common component of young and wet woodlands. It produces a light and easy to work timber. Principle product will be woodfuel including charcoal but will be preferentially retained for deadwood.

Oak: Coppiced oak is rare as it was valued for producing large timber beams rather than small rods. It is also slow growing and so tends to be shaded out in mixed species coppice. Oak will be preferentially selected to remain as part of the canopy. Oaks cast less shade than other species and can be grown as standards above a coppice canopy. When necessary some young oak may be thinned out to achieve other objectives or retain standards of other species. Principle products will be timber for gate posts, benches, signs and other furniture with unusable lengths going for woodfuel.

Hazel: Hazel has been so extensively coppiced that it is unusual to find the species as anything other than a coppice stool. Grown on different length rotations, it produces a variety of products including rods for weaving, stakes and binders for hedgelaying, thatching spars, pea sticks and charcoal. Hazel will be coppiced through woodlands. Rotation will depend on demand for products of a certain size. At present, it is likely that a mix of short (5 year) and (long 12-15 years) will be used to provide a ready quantity of pea sticks and large pieces for charcoal. Where space allows, hazel will be layered to increase the number of stools.

Sycamore: The non native species is now well established in woodlands. It is quick growing and some of the larger trees within the woodlands are sycamore. Due to its rapid growth it will be preferentially selected as coppice. Some larger trees with good growth will be retained in the canopy. Rotation will be approximately 10 years. Principle use will be woodfuel and charcoal.

Hawthorns: Hawthorn is difficult to work as coppice and will be retained as part of the understory. It is particularly good for wildlife as it provides secure nesting sites, spring blossom and autumn fruits.

Holly: Holly is rarely coppiced due to its slow growth. It can spread and form dense thickets of young trees that can impact on the regrowth of coppice. Holly will be retained throughout woodlands but will require pruning and crown lifting to protect the regrowth of coppice.

Conifers: Few conifers occur on these woodland sites. Where they occur singly, individuals will be retained for amenity value. Stands of conifer will be selectively felled to increase the area of broad-leaved trees.

Other species:Cherry, lime, beech and other species occur throughout the woodlands. Where they occur individually they will likely be retained as standards to add species variety. If trees of these species have been coppiced in the past they will be included in the coppice rotation.

Veteran and mature trees

Veteran trees are those trees of exceptional size and age. Many have been lost from the landscape as they have been felled for a variety of reasons. There are several veteran trees on woodland sites in Llangattock. These will be identified and recorded on the Woodland Trusts’ Ancient Tree Hunt website. If required, thinning will be performed around veteran trees. Where the trees contain dead branches these will be left unless they pose a hazard to public safety. Tree surgery may be required to make trees safe without felling the entire tree. Veteran trees will often be occupied by bats, in particular during summer. Tree management needs to be identified early so that work can be undertaken during winter.

Veteran trees should be photographed and recorded on the Woodland Trusts’ Ancient Tree Hunt website.

Work parties and safety

Following best practice in health and safety will be the principle objective of any work party. Volunteers will receive training, orientation to the work site, protective clothing and clear instruction. A qualified first aider and appropriate first aid kit is required for every work party. Members of the work party will be required to wear protective gloves, helmets and other safety clothing as needed. Risk Assessments for each individual site and management operation will be prepared and updated.

Management is undertaken by a volunteer workforce. It is intended that there will be a practical management day once per month. The management tasks for each season will be determined in accordance with this management plan. Other tasks will need to be performed as required, such as repairs to fencing. Training and community engagement is a key part of the woodland group and so adequate safety information will always be provided.

Only members of the Llangattock Woodlands group will be insured to undertake management works. We will ensure that membership records are kept up to date and are current. Additionally we will ensure that the group takes action accordingly. Much of the initial work is to thin and establish coppice across the woodlands. This will require felling by chainsaw and this will only be undertaken by a suitably qualified and insured person. Much of the volunteer manpower is required for timber extraction, stacking and processing of chainsaw felled timber. Hand tools will be used for snedding, brashing and thinning of small material.

Protection for the public during woodland management operations will be crucial to the planning and delivery of operations. Signs, access restrictions and a vigilant and informed work party will be required to ensure public safety.

Products, processing and extraction

Woodland management aims to produce a sustainable supply of timber. This timber must be processed and removed from site to become useable. Tree felling also produces large quantities of brash material that is of little value.

Brash: Brash will be stacked to form a component of the deadwood and the rest burnt on a bonfire if possible. Initial thinning and coppicing will produce large amounts of brash and it needs to be carefully stacked and located during work parties. With a chipper, brash can be turned into a useful product.

Timber:Any large sections of oak may be of value for use around the community sites. Ash, sycamore and alder may also be useful. Large pieces will require processing on site unless they can be extracted. Groundwork Merthyr Tydfilown a mobile saw-mill which can potentially be used to process timber. Other markets for quality timber pieces will be explored.

Woodfuel:During thinning and coppicing, useful material will be cut to length and stacked on site.Depending on the ability to extract and store wood, some may remain stacked in the woodland to season. Stacks will be off the ground and be of lengths of 6ft to discourage removal. Lengths can be split then logged. Where processing of timber takes place within the woodland, a dedicated work area will be selected for splitting and logging.

Charcoal: Charcoal is made of site. Off-cuts of logs and awkward shaped pieces of wood are all suitable for charcoal.

Rods and sticks:Long narrow lengths are useful for pea-sticks, while suitable lengths of hazel can be for used in hedgelaying. When suitable pieces are found, they will be stacked separately. Hedgelaying pieces will only be collected if required as they become difficult to work when dry.

Extraction

The ability to extract wood from the sites is crucial. Most timber will be removed by hand to waiting vehicles. For woods alongside the canal, timber can be removed via the tow path and potentially onto barge for transport to canal basins. Extraction routes and timber storages areas should be decided before felling takes place. If storage is available, timber should be stacked in a cool, dry environment. Work areas will be planned to reduce the amount of manual handling required, in particular the distance timber needs to be carried.

Extraction by machine will not be considered, but working horses would be used in appropriate situations. Were the extraction methods damage path surfaces, they will be made good after extraction. It is not intended to create any new surface paths, but informal paths and access routes will be created during thinning operations.

Felling licenses

Felling licenses are required when harvesting timber in large quantities. It is unlikely that one woodland area will be worked enough to produce more than 5 cubic metres of timber per quarter. Given the exemptions below at points 1 and 4 it is unlikely that a felling license will be required. However, the need for a felling license should always be considered during late summer when planning felling, thinning and coppicing. The Forestry Commission guidance should be read and a Forestry Officer consulted if in doubt.