This July an informative sustainable woodland management event will be run by FSC UK and the Woodland Trust. The focus will be on planted ancient woodland sites, understanding relevant certification requirements and discussing how to safeguard and enhance remnant features whilst carrying out operations.
The aim is to demonstrate how to sustainably manage and restore planted ancient woodland working alongside existing woodland management objectives, and explain how environmentally appropriate forest management ensures that the harvest of timber and non-timber products maintains the forest's biodiversity, productivity, and ecological processes.
Laura Shewring, the Trust’s Ancient Woodland Restoration Manager for Wales says: “Now is such an important time for restoring ancient woodland. We want to help woodland owners gain a better understanding of how to manage this important resource whilst also safeguarding these sites for future generations.
“The Woodland Trust aims to work alongside woodland owners and forest managers to allow sensitive restoration of ancient woodland alongside more traditional forestry practices, sporting use or increased farm income as well as encouraging conservation and environmental benefits.”
Ancient woodland is the richest, most valuable habitat for wildlife we have, with unique ecosystems providing a home to hundreds of rare and vulnerable species but only a fraction of this important resource remains. Its unique combination of flora and fauna, plus mainly undisturbed soils mean it can never be replanted, recreated or replaced.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global, not-for-profit organisation which promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC UK is an independent national office which helps to set forest management standards for the UK and promotes FSC forest management certification for all sizes and types of forest.
“It’s very important for us to support existing and potential forest management certificate holders in the UK,” says Owen Davies, Forest Standards Manager for FSC UK. “We know that the restoration of PAWS, plantations on ancient woodland sites, is a contentious subject for many, and this is a great opportunity to dispel myths and share best practice. We hope that it will be the first of a series of workshops addressing similar issues all around the country.
“This event is timely, as the draft fourth edition of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard was recently signed off the UKWAS Steering Group, and we will be able to discuss both current and future certification requirements.”
The workshop will be held on Monday 4th July in a privately owned woodland near Cleobury Mortimer in south Shropshire, and will include:
- An introduction to forest management certification requirements for plantations on ancient woodland sites, and how they are likely to change between UKWAS 3.1 and 4.
- An explanation of how certification requirements are audited in practice.
- A discussion of Woodland Trust best practice for the management and restoration of PAWS.
- An exchange of owner/manager experiences and views, including how PAWS restoration fits alongside other management objectives.
The workshop is free but places are limited, so please book early to receive joining instructions. Contact Adam Thorogood on adamthorogood@woodlandtrust.org.uk or telephone 07733 012452 or 0343 770 5633.
If you have any suggestions for other workshops on issues in forest management certification, such as deadwood management or management planning, please contact Owen at owen@fsc-uk.org.