Troserch Woodlands Society

Woodlands have been exploited in this country for many centuries. Generations ago, Oak was a vital resource, grown for many uses, including building ships and houses, furniture, fencing and firewood. Later it was in demand for pit-props. Today, the demand for oak is comparatively weak. At the end of two world wars, our woodlands had been stripped of timber and tree cover was at an all-time low. Our government believed that we should replace our strategic reserve of timber with fast-growing conifers. A programme of planting spruce and douglas fir on an industrial scale was started and these trees have now reached maturity.

The trees now growing in Troserch Wood are the result of this history. It is now generally accepted that broadleaved (deciduous) trees should not have been destroyed to make room for conifers and national policy today is to restore these Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites back to broadleaved woodland. Much of Troserch Woods will most likely be classified as a PAWS site. (Woodland which was in existence in the year 1600 and earlier). The History Group may be able to help us here?

The advice from the Woodland Trust and others is that PAWS sites should be thinned gradually and not clear felled. We propose to follow this advice with the long term aim to restore them to broadleaf. This will take many years. To start the process, we propose a very light thin of the maturing conifers on the West bank of the river. All that is necessary is to relieve any overcrowding and 'halo-thin' around any surviving broadleaves. A further thinning could follow in about 5 years time when the conifers planted in 1996 can also be thinned.

It is important that that the existing low-light levels are maintained to protect and encourage the small populations of ancient ferns, mosses and bilberry. Higher light levels will cause the existing bramble to grow rapidly and suppress any ancient woodland flora.

The flat area on the West side of the river, near the new footbridge, has been proposed as a picnic area. We propose to fell most of the conifers in a half(?) acre area of land, leaving a few of the larger specimens. The area will need strimming regularly to suppress the brambles and encourage grass.

On the East side of the river, the river bank is a highly sensitive area, having more varieties of ancient woodland flora than elsewhere in the wood. This includes bluebells, wood anenome, wood sorrel which will not appreciate higher light levels caused by excessive thinning or major disturbance.
The steep banks leading away from the river are also most likely to be PAWS sites and can take only a light thinning, favouring any remnant broadleaves. We should also protect any fallen dead-wood. There are a number of old fallen oaks which were killed in the 1960's. These should not be disturbed or exposed to sun-light. Moving Eastwards away from the river, the land flattens out and remnants of old hedge boundaries can be seen. This indicates that the land was used for agriculture and is not a PAWS site. Conifers have been planted on this fertile land and have grown fast. They now need to be felled before they grow too big for local sawmills to handle. We propose that the majority of the conifers up to the Eastern boundary should be felled next summer. A number should be retained as shelter for the remaining broadleaves and to protect the dead-wood.
The other reasons for this proposal are as follows:

There are few woodland flora and fauna in this part of the wood.
This part of the wood is rarely visited by the public.
It is an excellent opportunity to plant native broadleaved species, including oak, ash, rowan and hazel. Birch, willow and holly will regenerate naturally.
It will kick-start the process of conversion from conifers to broadleaves. The percentage of broadleaf woodland cover will be increased from only 10% at present to around 30%.
It should produce valuable income for the Society.

The felling and extraction of timber requires the use of heavy machinery. Inevitably, this will cause some damage to the existing network of tracks. While the machinery is on site, we should complete all the work which is required as we will not want to bring them back for another 5 years. When the work has been completed a smaller machine will be required to restore any damage and re-open drainage ditches, etc. To minimise the damage, the work needs to be done in summer.
A felling licence will be required and needs to be applied for this December, to allow time for the advertised period for any objections, and obtain tenders from felling contractors.

Peter Goodyear of UPM Tilhill managed the wood for the previous owners and has offered to manage this for us. Negotiating with contractors is highly specialised and it is vital that the right company is employed, not necessarily the highest bidder. Peter Goodyear is well respected and highly experienced in this work. We recommend that he be asked to act for us. He has also agreed not to demand payment for his services until we receive the income for the timber.

Following closely on behind the felling licence, we need to commence our application for a Better Woodlands for Wales Scheme from the Forestry Commission. For this we need to appoint a Management Planner who will consult with us and prepare a Foundation Plan. This will detail our Management Plan for the next five years and, when approved, will allow us to access a range of grants for work such as replanting, fencing, tracks and footpaths. The application process is lengthy, involving consultation with a wide range of public bodies, and could take about a year.