Right royal forest goes back to ancient roots
Diane McCrea, chairman of Natural Resources Wales, considers the health, social, environmental and financial benefits of trees as she welcomes the accreditation of a restoration project in Wentwood Forest under The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative..
The value of trees can be measured in a number of different ways. Trees have proven health, social, environmental and financial benefits.
NRW manages 126,000 hectares of mainly conifer woodlands in Wales and provides around 1.5 million tonnes of green timber to the industry each year, supporting the processing and construction sector. The forestry sector contributes millions of pounds to the Welsh economy, as well as contributing to tourism.
Trees also help reduce the effects of climate change, by taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They can make a real difference to people in towns and cities across Wales – providing a vital natural process. They remove harmful air pollution, reducing incidents of asthma and heart disease; reduce flood risk by slowing surface water run-off after heavy downpours. They also provide food and habitat for wildlife such as birds and bees.
There is mounting evidence which backs up the case that being outdoors – seeing trees, hearing birdsong, seeing the sky and feeling in contact with nature are associated with higher levels of mental wellbeing. Patient recovery rates improve even if they can simply view trees from their hospital window.
Which is why I am delighted that our ancient woodland restoration project at Wentwood Forest has been granted The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy accreditation.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC) initiative will create a pan-Commonwealth global network of forest conservation projects, marking Her Majesty The Queen’s service to the Commonwealth, conserving indigenous forests for future generations and helping to address climate change.
In partnership with the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw), this is an excellent example of our collaborative approach to pursue the sustainable management of natural resources.
Our commitment to restore Wentwood to a more natural state, working with the local community and other stakeholders, will not only improve the future resilience of the woodland to climate change and pests and diseases, but will also enhance a much-loved area of woodland that generates many well-being benefits, supporting opportunities for recreation, access, education and learning.
QCC projects are required to demonstrate sustainable forest conservation practices and encourage, where possible, the participation of local people in the management of the project.
Wentwood’s location close to the city of Newport means it is an important community woodland that is enjoyed for recreation, as well as being a haven for wildlife and a sustainably managed source of timber.
This is very much a collaborative project between Natural Resources Wales and the Woodland Trust, the two biggest landowners in Wentwood. We will work together with other stakeholders and the local community to explore opportunities to create more well-being benefits.
Wentwood has a long history of conifer planting dating back to the 1800s. The challenge now is to restore Wentwood to a more natural state, gradually removing the conifers and converting it back to native broadleaves. This type of restoration work is a good example of sustainable forest conservation.
The aim of the restoration is to recreate, enhance and then conserve a native woodland, supporting a range of species and ecosystem services. Wentwood supports a wide range of flora and fauna, including birds such as nightjars, wood warblers and spotted flycatchers, mammals such as dormice and fallow deer, and flora such as wild daffodils, wood sorrel and bluebells.
Wentwood is exceptional because it is one of the largestscale examples of the restoration of productive plantation forest to a more natural state in Britain, and the largest in Wales, covering 1,000 hectares.
This ancient woodland restoration project will contribute to NRW’s overall programme of planting more than four million trees this year, made up of 35 conifer and broadleaf species, on more than 4,400 acres of land across Wales.
We are committed to making sure communities and social enterprises get the greatest possible benefit from the Welsh Government Woodland Estate we manage.
Restoration of the ancient woodland at Wentwood will help to ensure that it continues to contribute to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Wales, now and for future generations.
With its newly acquired status, the restoration project at Wentwood puts Wales on the map and joins forests from across the Commonwealth worldwide, from Canada to Australia and the Seychelles, under the umbrella of the QCC, demonstrating the capacity of its 52 member countries to act together as one to ensure forest conservation.