Q: What area does the SPHN cover?
A: 21.37ha of the community woodland and all larch within that area will be felled as a result.
Q: Were all the larch trees felled infected with phytophthora ramorum?
A: No – there were two infected areas identified and all larch trees in a 250m radius from those were felled to stop the spread of the disease further.
Q: Is this SPHN only on larch trees?
A: Yes but it does mention that a separate notice will be issued on infected rhododendron in due course.
Q: What action has been done to protect the squirrels?
A: There were additional squirrel feeders installed to try to move them to other areas within the woodland. A team of 10 volunteers and their families have been regularly refilling these. The trees marked as with dreys have not been felled and will not be until the end of the breeding season to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Our notice requests that they are felled by 31st August 2022.
Q; Why use this extraction route which caused damage to a main path?
A: Other routes were considered but due to residential or considerable extra length of extraction meaning additional time and cost if another route was taken. This was the only feasible route that could have been used. Our paths were not made for this amount of heavy machinery so have taken on damage but can be reinstated.
Q: When will reinstating paths happen?
A: Once the forwarder has completed in April we’ll be assessing the main path between the Gillies Hill sheds entrance to the walled garden. This is the main path which has suffered with big muddy ruts. An excavator will be required and this will be the responsibility of CCDT to carry out once the harvesting contractors have left site.
Q: What are the restocking plans?
A: Restocking plans are still to be decided and community consultation to meet our aims of a thriving biodiverse community woodland is very much a part of this.
Q: What will income from the timber sale be spent on?
A: The income will allow CCDT to invest in projects for the benefit of the community. These include upgrading and improving the path network as well as erecting signage. We’d love to hear from you if you’ve a vision you’d like to be supported in taking forward. Volunteers are at the heart of what the community woodland will be as we all have an important role to play in the restocking and regeneration of our woodland for generations to come.