 SUSTAINABLE WOODLAND MANAGEMENTWritten by CAT's free information serviceemail: info@cat.org.uk; tel: 0845 3308373 or 01654 705989 Click here to download a printable version of this sheet (2 sides A4, PDF format, 50KB). Why manage woodland? People have managed woodlands in Britain for well over 2,000 years, with timber being a valuable resource for building materials, tools, crafts and fuel. Virtually all woodland in Britain today is the result of management at some point in its lifetime rather than being true wildwood. Many British woodlands have their own unique structure and biodiversity as a result of their use by humans, and so need ongoing management to be maintained. About 12% of Great Britain is woodland, and of that about 62% is conifer forest and 38% is broadleaf forest. Half of the area of broadleaf forest is comprised of small woods (less than 10 hectares), and it is estimated that up to 80% of these are currently unmanaged. There are different reasons to manage woodlands, including for timber and other forest products, for education and recreation, to maintain traditional environment and skills, to encourage biodiversity, and to act as carbon sinks to store carbon dioxide - one of the most significant climate change gases. Commercial production Britain imports around 90% of its timber needs, but much this could be supplied from national resources. Timber uses include building, furniture, fuel (logs, pellets, wood chips and charcoal) and smaller items such as tool handles and pea sticks. Other non-timber forest products include moss for horticulture, food such as mushrooms, berries and nuts, materials for basketry, and medicinal plants. The increased use of wood sourced within the UK from sustainably managed forests would have considerable environmental benefits. When trees grow they lock-up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and this is stored until they rot or are burned. So long as newly-planted trees replace felled trees, they are a virtually carbon neutral fuel (excepting the energy used in processing and transportation), and can result in carbon dioxide reductions if used in building or furniture making. Sustainably managed woodlands also support greater biodiversity, benefit local economies, and reduce transportation emissions from imports. There are many small woods around Britain that make and sell sustainably produced products. Some of the organisations listed overleaf have contact details for these. The Forestry Stewardship council (FSC) administers a certification scheme which guarantees that certified timber production has met environmental and social standards. FSC certified timber is now widely available. Woodland owners should note that a license is needed from the Forestry Authority to fell growing trees, but in any calendar quarter up to 5 cubic metres may be felled by an occupier - provided that not more than 2 cubic metres are sold. Maintaining biodiversity Woodlands are vital centres of biodiversity - not only for trees, but also for birds, mammals, invertebrates, plants, mosses and lichens. The main factors that determine woodland biodiversity are the amount of light available, the tree species, and the age of the trees in the woodland. A variety of light levels from deep shade through to open, well-lit clearings will encourage a wide range of plant species beneath the main tree canopy. The fruits and seeds of woodland plants are also important sources of food for invertebrates, birds and small mammals. The greater the variety of plants present, the more different animals and insects will be able to survive. As trees age they get bigger, offering a larger surface area and a range of micro-habitats such as gnarled bark, rot-holes and dead-wood to colonise; thus the more old trees a wood contains, the greater biodiversity is likely to be. Woodland species have adapted to different niches and often to specific management approaches (such as coppicing). Continuing traditional management approaches maintains many of these habitats. Diversity in woodlands can be encouraged by making sure there are a variety of light levels from deep shade to open glades. Planting a variety of native trees enhances animal diversity, because native trees support many more invertebrate species. For example, native oak trees have been found to support 284 different insect species whilst fir trees are associated with only 16 insect species. However, coniferous woodlands do still have considerable biodiversity value, because they contain a different range of species to those found on broadleaf trees. Traditional woodland management Before the industrial revolution wood was a vital resource and woodlands were managed to harvest timber for use as a fuel, in buildings, tools, furniture and for non-timber products such as medicinal plants. One of the most important management approaches is coppicing. Coppicing is the process of cutting trees down, allowing the stumps to regenerate for a number of years (usually 7 - 25), and then harvesting the resulting stems. This practice works with the natural regeneration properties of tree species such as Hazel, Oak and Sweet Chestnut, which produce many new shoots from cut stumps. Coppice trees and their produce are known as 'underwood'. Coppicing has been practiced in British woodlands for centuries. As a result of the rotational cutting sequence, at any one time there would be coppice at various different stages of regeneration within the woodland, so wood could be harvested for a variety of uses. Long rotations provide sizeable timbers for building or large furniture making, while shorter rotations produce timber suitable for smaller items such as pea & bean sticks, firewood, charcoal, furniture, sheep hurdles, baskets, fencing, hedging sticks, tool handles and brooms. Forest gardening Forest gardening is a food production system based on replicating woodland ecosystems to grow trees, bushes, shrubs, herbs and vegetables that are directly useful to people. The different crops grow on multiple levels in the same area to gain maximum productivity from the available space. Whilst this is a common small scale food production approach in the tropics, models for temperate climates have more recently become popular. See the contact details below for further information and resources on forest gardening. CAT courses and bookshop CAT runs a range of accredited short courses, including ‘Coppice Crafts’, ‘Coppicing’, and ‘Sustainable Woodland Management’. We also offer several day courses in these areas: www.cat.org.uk/shortcourses CAT mail order stocks many books on trees, woodland management and crafts: http://store.cat.org.uk Contacts Agroforestry Research Trust Small Woods Association Coed Lleol Forest Education Initiative Forestry Commission The Tree Council The Woodland Trust
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