The newly drafted forest plan for West Woods and Collingbourne is open for public consultation until Monday 7 October. The plan outlines how each woodland will be managed over the next 10 years to provide sustainably grown timber for the nation, promote public access for informal recreation, and improve habitats for wildlifeโฆ.
The main aim for West Woods, near Marlborough, and Collingbourne, near Ludgershall, is to gradually diversify the tree species. This helps to attract more wildlife and increase the forestsโ resilience against threats, such as future climate conditions and pests and diseases.
Forest Planner at Forestry England, Abby Parravani said, โforest plans define the long-term, beyond-our-lifetime vision for the nationโs forests and set out how we will work towards this over the next ten years. We are keen to involve the local communities who use and value these woodlands to give feedback as they will see the forests evolving over the coming decade.โ
Photo credit: Forestry England/Crown copyright
Forestry England is an agency of the Forestry Commission. It manages and cares for the nationโs 1,500 woods and forests, with over 285 million visits in 2023/24. As Englandโs largest land manager, they shape landscapes and enhance forests for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and businesses to grow. They are continuing the work we have already started to make the nationโs forests resilient to climate change, and pledge by 2026 to create at least 6,000 more hectares where they will integrate wilding activities in productive forests, increase the diversity of visitors to the nationโs forests and have one million hours of high-quality volunteer time given to the nationโs forests, and planting at least 2,000 hectares of new, high quality, predominantly broadleaf woodlands.
To view and provide feedback on the draft plan, visit HERE. For more information on forest plans seeHERE.
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