Designing and managing a forest, the role of Forest Design Plans

Managing a forest may look simple-you plant some trees then you leave the trees alone-but it’s actually much more complicated than that.  Decisions are always being made about managing the forest and the forest is constantly changing shape as we make sure we look after it in the best way for everyone, including the wildlife.  To help us achieve this we create and update a Forest Design Plan which allows us to make long term decisions about the forest, including when and how to fell and plant trees.

When the Forestry Commission was first set up in 1919 its main aim was to replace the trees felled for use in the First World War, forming a ‘strategic timber reserve’ in case the country again needed a large source of timber.  In 1937 the Forestry Commission bought Grizedale estate and planted trees on 2,000 hectares (an area the size of 2,800 football pitches) of farm land used for grazing..  The main priority was producing timber quickly.  Because different trees grow at different rates on different soil types the Forestry Commission surveyed the land before choosing which species to plant where.  The result was large quantities of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, Western hemlock and Scots pine being planted over 15 years. 

From the 1960s onwards Grizedale developed as a multiple-use forest.  This means using the land not only to grow timber but also to manage it to benefit wildlife, to make possible adventure activities such as those offered by ‘Go Ape’ and ‘Grizedale Mountain Bikes’; to benefit walkers who enjoy our walking trails; to provide education for students of all ages and even to make sure that you have the best views possible.  In order to balance all these different objectives and to deliver all of these benefits, Forest Design Plans are used.

Forest Design Plans are long term plans which layout how the forest will be managed.  Because the forest is managed for so many different people, we involve neighbours, Parish Councils, County Wildlife Trusts, and specialist interests like Friends Of the Lake District in the shaping the Forest Design Plan.  Managing each forest as well as possible means appreciating what is special about each forest.  That’s why special features of wildlife or archaeological interest, the forest’s potential for timber production and its value for landscape and recreation are all taken into account. 

Each ForestDesign Plan has many maps, accompanied by text, with each map corresponding to one objective we are trying to achieve such as:

• Ensuring that we don’t spoil any of the good views from various points around the forest
• Plotting the different soil types to make sure we plant the right trees in the right places
• Mapping areas of high windspeeds and poorly drained soils where trees will be exposed to being blown over if they are thinned out. (see this blog about the forest cycle)
• Ensuring that one group’s (e.g. cyclists) enjoyment of the forest does reduce the enjoyment of another group (e.g. walkers) and that an area is set aside as quiet wildlife area.

These maps, as well as the other information in the plan are used to guide our long term management decisions, such as

• When to fell each area of the forest
• What to replant following felling
• Where to set aside quiet areas, with less human disturbance, for wildlife
• Where to site new recreation facilities, such as trails, picnic sites or car parks.

The best opportunities to mould the forest come from decisions about felling and replanting, so getting this right is a key part of any Forest Design Plan.  After an area has been planted for 20 years then it may be thinned. Thinning means harvesting the smaller trees so that the bigger trees have more space to grow.  Decisions about thinning may be made before the area is even planted and will depend upon how windy the area is.  If it is a very windy area then thinning may lead to the remaining trees being blown over and is therefore more likely to be avoided.  There are other areas, which are very visible from major roads and public areas which will often be managed as ‘continuous cover’ meaning that the area will never be clear felled.  But, when an area is clear felled we are presented with a clean slate, and foresters have the opportunity to plant more conifers for timber or to plant broadleaf species.

Although the Forest Design Plans are long term plans they are not set in stone.  They are reviewed fully with consultees every 10 years to see what has worked well and where we can improve.  Our plans may also be affected by events outside of the forest for example, if the price of the timber of a species trebled or if new diseases made planting a species more risky.

For more information about Forest Design Plans and to see some online, go to www.forestry.go.uk and search ‘Forest Design Plans’