Bringing a native woodland back to life

This month marks the sixth anniversary of the purchase of 353 hectares (870 acres) of Wentwood Forest by the Woodland Trust, following a high profile public fundraising campaign. At the time, more than 15,000 people supported the appeal in 2005, with celebrities ranging from actor Judi Dench to writer Bill Bryson lending their support to raise over £1.5m.

Now, six years on, the Woodland Trust has completed the first stage of the restoration of the forest – including thinning almost all the areas of Wentwood in the Trust’s care which had been previously been planted with conifers to provide space and light for native oak, beech and hazel to take their place. What the Trust has not done, however, is to clear-fell large areas of the forest. This ensures that the land still feels like a wood and, crucially, can protect the rare and vulnerable woodland flora, such as woodland ferns, that could be killed off by the shock of clear-felling.

“It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to restore Wales’ largest remaining ancient forest,” says Barry Embling, responsible for the management of Wentwood. ”Over the past five years we’ve removed tens of thousands of tonnes of conifer trees, creating much improved habitats for the whole range of wildlife associated with ancient woodland, including dormouse, pipistrelle bat, song thrush and bullfinch. Other declining and nationally rare species which should benefit from the restoration include wood warbler, willow tit (Wentwood is the last place for this species in Gwent), cuckoo, tree pipit, goshawk and badger.”

Like all Woodland Trust sites, Wentwood has its own website at www.wt-woods.org.uk/wentwood which includes a map, notes about what to look out for, and the Woodland Trust’s long term plans for the forest.

Image: Beeches along ancient hollow lane, Wentwood. Photo by Rory Francis/WTPL.