Tree thinning at Foremark

Why are you thinning trees?

The trees at Foremark were planted several decades ago. They’re roughly the same age and are growing close to one another, which means that there’s not a lot of light reaching the woodland floor. Respacing will allow more light in and encourage the growth of woodland ground flora and the continuing healthy growth of the remaining trees.

What trees are you removing?

We’ll be removing a mixture of species, as we aim to create a woodland with a variety. However, many of the trees at Foremark are ash and infected with ash dieback, a windborne disease. Trees with the most advanced cases of ash dieback are prone to failing, so we’ll be prioritising the removal of these in areas where they may become a risk to visitors.

What are the benefits of thinning the trees?

Thinning the woodland will give remaining trees room to mature and allow light in, giving new trees, shrubs, and plants a chance to grow. This will also create a varied woodland habitat, as a woodland that has trees of all different ages, as well as open areas without tree cover, is much better at providing habitat for wildlife.

How will this work benefit nature?

The aim of this work is to create a woodland with a variety of ages and increase biodiversity by creating better homes for nature. By creating glades and scalloping rides – felling trees in scallop shapes along the edges of tracks and paths – this will create warm, calm areas, which are perfect for invertebrates, as many species need both trees and open spaces to thrive.

Where possible, deadwood will be left in the woodland, which is fantastic for fungi and insects, and creates the basis for other wildlife to thrive. Dead trees that are still standing support different species, such as insects and bats, so we’ll increase habitat for both.

Veteran trees are mature trees, which are a vital habitat for hundreds of species, particularly fungi and insects, which then form a food source for a host of other creatures. As part of the forestry works, we’ll begin to remove young, competing trees, which will create space for our future veteran trees. We’ll be choosing trees with hollows, deadwood, splits, and holes, to become the next generation of veteran trees, as we lose the old veterans. A lot of the species associated with deadwood and veteran trees do not travel far, so it’s important to have future veterans close to existing ones.