This began several months ago in Home Wood, Player Wood, Baileys Plantation and others on the Estate. I took this up with both Persimmon and the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission awarded the licence and monitor the work as resources allow. The first thing to say is that this is not an attempt to build on the woods but to manage them for the future. It is widely acknowldged that the woods have not been managed properly for many years and this is how the Commission replied to our concerns:
The works in the application are very basic woodland management activities that are necessary for the continued health and condition of the woodland. Whilst the scale of the works may seem concerning to residents, I would like to reassure you that they will improve the woodland long term in terms of diversity, health and timber quality. Thinning works in particular give the trees more room to grow and will close canopy in the future whilst regeneration felling will help increase species and structural diversity making the wood more resilient. The works also will improve the biodiversity of the site through diversification and increasing light levels.
In terms of forest operations in bird nesting season there is no law preventing forest operations within bird nesting season. Considering the wet weather we have had over the last 18 months it is understandable why the works are currently being carried out as winter weather often leave sites unworkable. It is however an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird or take or destroy a nest whilst it is in use. The only exception to this is if it is as a result of a lawful operation that could not be reasonably avoided. The felling licence covering the works at Garendon also states:
Advisory
All felling and extraction sites will be surveyed prior to work starting. The survey will locate features that must be avoided so that they are preserved and are not disturbed during felling and extraction of the trees such as: archaeological features, badger setts, bird nests, and habitat of European protected species.
The contractor has replied to the emails stating that surveys are being carried out prior to operations and that if any nesting birds are identified works will be stopped.
Brash is best placed left in situ and makes up an important deadwood element of the woodland. The brash is utilised by a range of invertebrates and helps to feed nutrient back into the forest floor over time.
I have also been sent some pictures of the rutting on site which appear to be minor in nature. We have experienced extremely wet conditions over the last 18 months and some rutting is inevitable, the rutting seems to be mainly contained to extraction routes and would be considered reasonable for a woodland management operation. The site has a landscaping plan and I assume the landowner will take actions to rectify any rutting outside of the woodland in the future