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This is the response from John Ebsary, Area Forester Exmoor & Quantocks, Forestry England, to Timberscombe Parish Council, regarding tree felling on Wootton Ridge adjacent to the Oway in the bird nesting season.

We are still working with Forestry England and Exmoor National Park on how they can better inform local landowners and the public of impending works.

Sustainable forest management at Wootton Common

Forestry England’s woodlands across Wootton Common are working timber forest, managed to the international Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards. Our accreditation is managed via the UK Woodland Assurance Standard who audit Forestry England every year.

Until the installation of a new service road in 2021, these woodlands have been difficult to access. With the new road in place, we are working across a wide area of Wootton Common for the first time in more than 20 years to improve the long-term health and resilience of the forest.

Because Wootton Common hasn’t been worked for many years, the forest’s trees are mostly of a similar age and size. This creates a uniform forest structure that limits both the habitat value and aesthetic character of the forest. We are currently thinning trees across a wide area to break up this structure. This has multiple benefits: giving the remaining trees more light and warmth to grow to their potential; improving conditions for flora on the forest floor; enhancing habitat for wildlife, increasing the resilience of the forest against pests and diseases. We are also clear felling two smaller areas to remove mature trees and those at risk of storm damage. In these areas, the ground will rest for a year or two before we plant more than 30,000 new trees. These will be a mixture of conifer species that are suitable for the conditions on site. In the meantime, the resting ground will soon ‘green up’ and provide wonderful habitat for ground nesting birds such as nightjar, small mammals, insects, and reptiles.

Planning the most suitable time of year for forestry work is a complex compromise between the needs of people and wildlife, the safety of the site, tree health, local topography (e.g. steep slopes that might cause water run off), soil condition, likely rainfall, and much more. There is no perfect time of year for forestry work; we make local decisions based on detailed assessments of the site, including thorough ecology surveys.

It’s a common misconception that nature ‘is best left to its own devices’. In fact, harvesting trees is not only an important part of sustainable forest management, but well managed forests support more wildlife.

In Wootton Common, we have several interesting species, including raven, and badger, and plenty of favourable bird breeding habitat. As well as placing ‘exclusion zones’ around known nests and setts to minimise disturbance, we adapt our work in response to wildlife activity on site. For example, our current work was due to start at Ranscombe Combe but, due to finding active nests of protected birds and a badger sett, work was started far away in Knowle instead.

We work hard to balance the need for woodland management and sustainable timber with the year-round activity of wildlife. Our website explains these challenges in more detail https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/felling-and-nesting-birds

Bringing the woodlands across Wootton Common back into regular management will have long-lasting benefits for the health of both the forest and its wildlife. Dunster Park & Heathlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) runs along the northern edge of Forestry England’s woodland, which is in part notified for its population of heath fritillary, conservation priority species. Although not required by Natural England, we are taking the opportunity to improve our areas of favourable habitat and open space to connect them with the SSSI to benefit this valuable species.

Depending on weather conditions and wildlife activity, we hope to finish the current forestry operation by early autumn. Local residents can help us to finish work as quickly as possible by following all closure and diversion signs, as significant work time can be lost when members of the public enter the work site.

Forestry work is very hazardous. A falling tree can weigh several tonnes and hit the ground at nearly 60mph. If a harvesting machine chainsaw snaps, it can fly through the forest like a bullet.

We will be back on site to plant the new trees during winter 2024 and we next plan to thin the trees in five or six years ‘time. Our full forest plan for Exmoor National Park, on which Timberscombe Parish Council was consulted, is available to read online. Visit https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-planning/exmoor-forest-plan or simply search ‘Exmoor Forest plan’.

If you have any questions about our work here, or elsewhere on Exmoor, please get in touch via westengland@forestryengland.uk.