This week we have been working on a South West Lakes site called Roadford Lake in mid Devon. Although the compartments are adjacent to County Wildlife sites, they are being thinned to produce amenity woodland. We are using the traditional management technique of thinning in a two hectare area of broadleaf trees planted in 1980, cutting out rides or 'racks' through the compartments in this unmanaged reserve. We are stacking the brash in windrows to one edge of the racks, and stacking the timber, cut to 2.5m lengths, for later extraction. We are then thinning the remainder of the compartment by 25/30%, with a focus on retaining oak trees and other mature trees with bat friendly features such as cavities, creating the conditions for nature to flourish. Decisions on which trees to cut down are made with an eye on how the woodland will look in 30 years time when it will need thinning again. Care of woodlands must always have one foot in the longterm, and we are very aware of creating the best possible habitat for nature, whilst also needing to be efficient in our working strategies. It is a pleasure to work with the awareness of how our skill levels have reached the stage where the team are able to work safely and fast, by judging the key features of a felling operation as they unfold and avoiding lengthy hang up situations by using the right tools for the job (petrol winch where necesssary). This is a lovely neck of the woods to work in and we look forward to seeing the compartments grow into the future.
