Our work in the Pont ar Daf forestry plantation

Published:: 17 November 2025

The beginning of the Beacons Way path from Pont ar Daf in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales — Beginning of the Beacons Way path from Pont ar Daf in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales | © Chris Lacey

Find out more about how we are restoring natural woodland habitat by thinning out and removing non-native conifers to increase biodiversity at the Pont ar Daf forestry plantation, which is located behind Pont ar Daf carpark at the base of Pen y Fan. Here is everything you need to know about the works and how it may affect your visit to Pen y Fan and the Brecon Beacons mountain range.

From 24 November 2025 to February 2026 the path between Pont ar Daf car park and Storey Arms, running parallel to the A470, will be closed due to forestry work in the adjacent plantation.

We recommend that during this time you plan ahead and ensure your walking route begins and ends at the same carpark. If you need help with planning a route, the friendly Welcome Team at Pont ar Daf car park can answer any questions you have. Thank you for your patience while we carry out these essential works.

Restoring natural woodland habitat at Pont ar Daf

When the National Trust acquired the land at Pont ar Daf there was already a commercial plantation of non-native conifers including western hemlock.

Woodlands and forests need to be actively managed and we’re continuing with a phased plan to thin non-native conifer trees and remove western hemlock, gradually replacing them with native broadleaf tree species. This will help create gaps in the tree cover to let in light and help establish different flora and fauna, improving the woodland habitat for a wide range of wildlife.

The western hemlock, a species of conifer, will be fully removed from the plantation. We are doing this first and for contractors to do it safely, we need to close the adjacent path running between Pont ar Daf car park and Storey Arms between 24 November 2025 and February 2026.

Work will then start to thin out the other non-native conifers using a type of woodland management known as Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). Trees will be removed slowly, in an irregularly pattern instead of all-in-one go. This approach is more nature friendly, maintains habitat and soil health and creates a far more diverse and resilient woodland.

Next, we will begin planting native broadleaf species such as oak, birch and hazel. As the new trees grow, we will return every few years to continue taking out the non-native conifers. Over time we will return the plantation to a woodland full of native broadleaf trees, better supporting the local and all-important ecosystem.

Walkers exploring the Beacons Way path between Pont ar Daf and Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales | © Chris Lacey

Future access to the woodland

Once progress is made with the woodland’s management we hope to create an accessible route through the woodland. This will give those who want to experience the beauty of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but who don’t feel able to climb the higher peaks, an opportunity to still have a wonderful day out in nature.

The National Trust are planting more trees to combat climate change. Why are you now cutting them down at Pont ar Daf?

We need to actively manage woodlands to ensure they remain healthy and thriving, which sometimes means cutting down trees. There are different reasons why we do this and at Pont ar Daf the conifers, which were originally planted as a timber crop, have reached a good age for harvesting. Thinning and removing them through our continued management of the woodland allows us the opportunity to create a more diverse broadleaf woodland which are far more beneficial to nature.