Following on from the previous post about what we currently have in the woodland, here is an overview of the proposed management plan. I fully expect that elements of it will change as I experience the realities of putting it into practice, but this is the current version.
As you will have gathered, although it is an ancient woodland, much of the site currently has a low ecological diversity because of a dense stand of Sitka spruce planted in the 1980s. My long term vision for Comar Wood is to transform it into a woodland that is ecologically rich but also productive for timber and woodfuel. There are two main things to do to achieve this vision: 1. Remove the spruce (or the majority of it); 2. Establish desired species and woodland structure. Simple!
Removing the spruce
Spruce removal will be done gradually, through thinning and then felling of groups, rather than by clear-felling everything at once. It will be done over at least two decades, maybe three, with some trees possibly retained even longer. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, to try to protect the ancient woodland remnants within the spruce plantation. Although they are currently being damaged by excessive shading, they are equally sensitive to high levels of light and to sudden changes in light levels. It should be less damaging to gradually change light levels by removing the spruce in stages rather than all together. The woodland habitat will be retained throughout the process, which should result in less disturbance to specialist species of flora and fauna.
Secondly, the spruce crop is not yet fully mature. By removing it gradually we can start to renew some areas of the woodland sooner but also leave a significant proportion of the spruce to reach maturity and therefore realise a higher value when eventually felled. This will also mean that we have an ongoing output of timber from the woodland. A further benefit of staged spruce removal is that subsequent regeneration can be carried out gradually, resulting in a woodland with a more diverse age structure than if it was all replanted at once.
The main potential problem with gradual removal of the spruce is the risk of destabilising the remaining trees, resulting in wind-throw (trees getting blown over). The risk here is relatively low because it is a sheltered, well drained site. I plan to further manage the risk by doing thinning very gradually, retaining wind-firm edges (the edge trees are more stable because they have grown up exposed to wind), monitoring and adapting the approach if necessary.
Another problem with removing the spruce gradually is the likelihood that we will get a lot of spruce regeneration in felled areas where we are trying to establish other species (because the remaining trees will keep seeding in). As I plan to use a combination of natural regeneration and planting for restocking of felled areas, my plan is to treat the spruce as part of the natural regeneration and then selectively remove it over time to favour the species that I want to retain in the long term.
Establishing desired species and woodland structure
Planted areas, once the spruce is removed, will be transformed into either mixed woodland for timber production or coppice for woodfuel. The intended main species for timber are silver birch, oak and Douglas fir. I would also like to include larch but it depends on the situation with the disease Phytophthora ramorum that is currently affecting larch trees in Scotland. All of these species are light demanding, meaning they need to be planted or seeded into an open area where they will receive sufficient light. I plan to fell groups of spruce about 50 x 50 m wide to provide openings in which the new trees can establish.
The current plan is that the group felling and re-stocking will take place over a period of about 20 years, or maybe even longer, with a few groups felled/ re-stocked every year or two. These will be spaced so that adjacent groups are felled/ re-stocked at different times, resulting in a patchwork of trees of different ages and species. Re-stocking of the felled groups will be done using a combination of planting nursery-grown stock and natural regeneration from local trees. Trees will then need to be tended as necessary to ensure quality timber growth – something about which I have a lot still to learn.
Some parts of the wood will be re-stocked as coppice, rather than timber production. This will be grown on a rotation suitable for firewood production, so probably 12 – 15 years. Species that I am considering for this include alder, birch, hazel, willow and possibly aspen. I like the idea of using coppice because it has the potential to produce straight, manageable lengths of hardwood that can easily be processed into firewood and because maintaining an established root-stock and harvesting growth every so often would seem to be an efficient method of producing wood. Again, I have plenty to learn about this as well.
Not all of the woodland will be managed to be productive. Areas where there is existing remnant native woodland will be managed with minimal intervention and will be gradually expanded through removal of adjacent spruce trees. The main management for these areas will be to ensure that the browsing levels by sheep and deer are low enough to allow natural tree regeneration and a diverse understorey and ground flora.
Access
An important element of the type of system I have planned is good access for timber extraction because this will be carried out on a regular basis and timber needs to be extracted without disturbing other areas of the woodland. Current access within the woodland is pretty limited and the steep ground makes things particularly tricky, so the management plan includes putting in some tracks. These will allow access for a tractor and will allow us to extract timber to the track using a winch and then forward it out using a timber trailer.
Herbivores
In order to make sure the re-stocked areas are able to establish I will need to make sure that browsing levels by sheep and deer are low. The plan is to fence out the sheep. Deer numbers are currently relatively low because of culling by our neighbours, the Forestry Commission. However, I intend to monitor browsing levels and do some deer control of my own if necessary. I have Jamie lined up for this job because he is a lot more handy with a rifle than I am. I’ll help eat the venison though!
Wider uses
Aside from the tree-growing aspects of the management plan, I also have aspirations that the wood can become more of a local resource. I’d like to make the it somewhere where people can come and spend time, to learn, to be inspired and just to enjoy the experience of being in a woodland. We plan to eventually put in some footpaths and perhaps link up a walk to the dun (Iron Age hill fort) that is on the Forestry Commission land above ours. Other ideas include foraging, bushcraft or volunteering days and outdoor learning for school or nursery groups.
Final thoughts
There is plenty to think about and it’s a little bit daunting, but having a plan is a good start. I think the approach has to be to break it down into manageable tasks. Start small, keep working away and gradually changes will start to happen!
An ambitious but ultimately rewarding plan. Interesting that you are planning to block thin rather than line thin.
Thanks, well we will see…!
Initial thinning will be selective thinning, i.e. keep the better trees and take out smaller ones or ones competing with broadleaves or better spruce. We need to be quite careful with the thinning due to the age of the trees. Then later we will do group felling, or at least, that is the current plan.