Forestry Commission Consultation Hub

The external consultation for the West Woods & Collingbourne Forest Plan was open for five weeks between late August and early October 2024. Posters were displayed within both woodlands, directing people to an online survey. In addition, emails were sent directly to known stakeholder organisations and individuals who we felt have an interest in how the forest is managed.

We had 44 responses to our online consultation survey for the West Woods & Collingbourne Forest Plan, and respondents were a combination of NGOs, neighbours, parish councils, community groups and forest users/members of the public.

When asked to score a range of interests in terms of their importance, the highest rated interests were “biodiversity & woodland ecology”, “communities & people”, “climate change”, “forest protection” and “recreation and access”, with the majority of respondents saying these interests were “very important” to them.

In answer to the question “How well does the Forest Plan address your needs and interests, or those of your organisation?”, 64% of respondents said “very well” or “well”, and 27% said “OK”. 7% of respondents felt that the Forest Plan addressed their needs and interests “poorly”, and 2% didn’t answer the question.

There were plenty of positive comments about the Forest Plan, which are appreciated and very rewarding to receive:

“Very interesting to see a plan of the different trees and a long-term strategy to manage the woods effectively - thank you.”

“I am excited about your thinning interventions to encourage natural regeneration.”

“This is an excellent document and I feel confident our woods are in good hands.”

“I fully endorse the plans to restore West Woods and Collingbourne Woods to Ancient Woodland.”

“Good recognition of biodiversity and heritage features.”

“Very much welcome other aspects of the plan to diversify natural woodland and support wildlife and biodiversity, and support better management of heritage features.”

• A number of respondents expressed strong concern over the illegal use of motorbikes and off-road vehicles within the woods:

e.g. “I would ask that there is more policing of the woods by Forestry Commission staff to stop motorbikes entering. It is becoming a daily intrusion and is not only noisy but threatens walkers/dog walkers/wildlife. Signs alone have not worked.”

Forestry England’s response: We take illegal activity very seriously, and encourage residents to report all incidents to the police and to Forestry England with as much information as possible. The local Forestry England team looks after 3500 hectares of woodland and isn’t resourced to police the forests against incursions. But we record all incident reports in order to understand recurring patterns of behaviour. Maintaining access for legitimate forest users whilst preventing abuse by motorised vehicles is an ongoing challenge.

• Two respondents felt that deer numbers have increased in the woods, and asked about our approach to deer management:

e.g. “There appears to be an increasing number of deer in West Woods which stray regularly beyond the woods into local residents’ gardens. Does Forestry England have a plan for controlling deer populations?”

Forestry England’s response: Active deer management is carried out in West Woods via a Deer Control Licence managed by Forestry England. Deer live wild and pass freely through the landscape wherever they want, not adhering to land boundaries. They aren’t confined to one particular habitat, and the number occupying a particular woodland at any given time is unlikely to remain consistent.

• Several respondents had concerns for the bluebells and wild daffodils present in the woods, expressing fear over a potential reduction in these wildflowers as a result of our planned forestry activities:

e.g. “Bluebell density must be conserved throughout all of West Woods, not just the protected area near the eastern car park.”

Forestry England’s response: Wild flowers, in particular bluebells, are a significant ecological feature of these woodlands and also a greatly loved feature  for visitors. Proposals within the new Forest Plan have been carefully considered to balance the need to diversify the woodland structure, and to preserve the bluebells. While the area on the eastern side of West Woods near to the Clatford car park has been identified as an area of particular bluebell abundance, this does not mean that bluebells elsewhere in the woodlands will be disregarded when felling operations are planned. Whilst preserving ecological features is a high priority, it is important to maintain a holistic view of the woodlands. If we do not carry out felling in an attempt to protect wildflowers, these woodlands would continue to have a very uniform canopy, with very little diversity – including woodland flora - and a lack of resilience and provision for healthy trees in the future.

• Several respondents expressed concern over our intention to investigate the potential for a grazing scheme to be put in place at Hursley Bottom in West Woods, for the purpose of habitat enhancement:

e.g. “I would be concerned about grazing, especially if it involved cattle, and think that it needs very clear information for walkers, so that they can avoid areas where cattle are grazing.”

Forestry England’s response: At this stage, the idea of introducing a conservation grazing scheme at Hursley Bottom is in the early stages of development and is only one of several possibilities being considered to manage this area effectively for wildlife benefit. If grazing was to be progressed, maintaining public access throughout the grazed area would be a key objective. Any proposals would be thoroughly assessed and discussed within Forestry England, and we would seek advice from other organisations who are successfully managing conservation grazing initiatives in publicly used areas.

• A small number of respondents didn’t agree with our proposals to embrace natural regeneration as a method of restocking areas following felling:

e.g. “The reliance on natural regeneration ensures that saplings of today will not yield any timber in the future.”

Forestry England’s response: Following any group felling or clearfelling operations, no immediate planting will take place, and instead we will monitor the abundance and species of natural regeneration, reviewing at 5 years post felling and 10 years post felling against stocking densities required by the UK Woodland Assurance Standard. At this point, if little regeneration has occurred, or it is of undesirable species or lacking in species diversity, then supplementary planting will be considered. Any planting will be carefully planned to achieve a desired species mix that is suited to expected future climatic conditions. There are many advantages to embracing natural regeneration. The resulting trees are likely to be very well adapted to local site conditions, including soil type, and are likely to be hardier to local climatic conditions and stressors. The process of natural regeneration allows for natural selection of the best adapted trees to occur. The species mixes and habitats created by regeneration are often more natural, and better able to support wildlife communities within the woodland. It is also beneficial to avoid needing to import saplings from abroad to plant, to reduce the risk of introducing pests and diseases to our woodlands.

• Some respondents thought that increasing visitor facilities at the woods would be beneficial, however others want infrastructure to remain minimal, to maintain the quiet feel of the woods:

e.g. “Picnic areas would be welcomed, as well as a toilet, as similar to Savernake woods.”

Forestry England’s response: While Forestry England is committed to removing barriers and widening access to the nation’s forests, visitor facilities must be appropriate to the woodland and we need the resources to manage them. At the current time, there are no plans to develop further visitor facilities at either West Woods or Collingbourne Wood. These largely ancient woodlands are valued for their tranquillity and naturalness, and we are keen to maintain the relaxed simplicity which visitors seek.

A full consultation record covering all of the topics that were frequently raised in the online survey will be available to view in the finalised Forest Plan once it has been published on our website.

The external consultation for Mildenhall was open for 30 days from 7th June 2024 - 6th July 2024. The public were directed to an online consultation via posters erected across the woodland at key entrance points and gateways, letters sent to residents and social media posts. A hard copy of the plan was also made available for viewing at the Santon downham office. We directly emailed 24 stakeholders including parish councils to inform them of the consultation.

The consultation also provided contact details for further queries to be made.  

There were 12 responses to the consultation with 8 of those being through the online questionaire. Overall, the plan was met favorably, with 63% of online respondents classing it as well or very well addressing their needs. The majority Of respondents also agreed the plan acheived an appropriate balance of social, economic and environmental objectives for the woodland. The primary interests of respondants focused on biodiversity & woodland ecology, recreation and access and climate change. 

The key concerns raised include the following:

• MOD felt greater consideration was required for managing safeguarding issues for RAF Mildenhall in regard to tree height controls for the glideslope area. 
• Friends of Thetford Forest requested a correction to the wording regarding the open days held for Rex Graham and Warren Lodge. 
• Archaeological concerns from an external stakeholder regarding below ground disturbance from any operations.
• Request to encourage the use of methods that promote infiltration of precipitation to ground, improving rates of aquifer recharge. Suggestions made for this included: increasing clearings/glade area, fire break width and planting more broadleaf species. 
• Further explanation wanted over what anti social behaviour was present. 
• Lack of recreation facilities. Public would like to see similar facilities to those at High Lodge including litter and dog poo bins. 

The response have been considered and factored into the plan where possible. The key concerns raised above have been addressed in the following way:

• A meeting was held with the MOD, our estates department and forest planner to address the exact issues around tree height management. A survey was carried out of the tree heights within the glideslope area during the development of the plan and a clear fell coupe was added to address some that exceeded this. The plan does also show the glideslope area will remain with surrounding broadleaf woodland to be coppiced to keep tree heights low. The MOD felt the full glideslope area was not clear in the plan so it was agreed an extra map would be included in the appendix of the plan and further text added to page 14 to acknowledge the agreement between the MOD and FE to manage trees within the glideslope area. 
• The plan was corrected with the updated text from the Friends of Thetford Forest.
• An operational site assessment (OSA) is carried out before operations begin and our heritage advisor is consulted during this stage to highlight any particular issues. The designation of the forest as SSSI/SPA means ground nesting habitat is required and created through felling operations so it is not practical to simply say no operations can take place due to a possibility something may be uncovered. The comments made were passed to the heritage advisor to consider whether any changes were required to the plan as a result of these and to consider during the OSA process.  
• The incopration of the open habitat plan across Thetford Forest which includes Mildenhall will increase the width of the forest roads and rides, as well as some larger clearings to encourage SSSI species. It is unlikely we would plant broadleaf species as the woodland already has a large percentage spread across the plan area but existing species will act as a good seed source to naturally regenerate into any gaps to further diversify the forest. 
• A response was sent to the member of public who requested this to explain we encourage visitors to follow the forest code and byelaws when visting and included a link to these. Any activity that does not follow these is considered anti social behaviour and a list of those present in Mildenhall was provided as well as more detail on how we know this to be the case e.g. reports from members of the public or emergency services. No further response was recieved. 
• High Lodge is a forest centre of which the car parking charges play a fundamental role in providing and maintaining the facilities there. It would not be possible to install these at Mildenhall for free. The play facilities that were previously in place were managed by the council but later removed due resource issues with maintenance. The recreation team are reviewing what is provided at external sites but any developments will depend on funds available. Thetford Forest now operates a bin free policy in line with Forestry England's policy to create less waste and provides an opportunity to redeploy resources from managing other peoples litter to investing in expanding peoples experiences of accesing green space. Visitors are expected to manage their own litter and to take it home with them.  

This plan has now been approved by Forest Services, the regulatory arm of the Forestry Commission and can be viewed on our Forestry England Forest Management Plans webpage.

The external consultation for the Warwickshire Woodlands Forest Plan was open for five weeks in February / March 2024. Posters were put up at the entrances to the woods, directing people to an online survey.

Forest plans define the long-term vision for our forests and set out how our management will move towards achieving this vision. They focus on the main features of each woodland, in particular the species and structural composition and biodiversity interests, and set out proposals for how we will manage them to increase resilience, productivity and value for wildlife and people in the future. The forest plan makes only a brief reference to our recreation offer.

Who completed the consultation?

More than 300 people responded to the consultation. Of the 260 people who left comments, 205 referenced the car parking situation at Oversley, which was mentioned briefly in the forest plan, but not discussed in detail because that is not the focus of the Forest Plan. 

Most respondents described themselves as forest users, neighbours or local residents. In addition, the survey was completed by 3 of our wonderful volunteers, Alcester Town Council, Baddesley Clinton Parish Council, the Oversley Green Residents Association, plus 33 people who declared that they had “no connection” to the forest.

Functions of the forest plan

Respondents scored functions of the forest plan in terms of importance to them / their organisation. Recreation and access were deemed to be the most important, followed closely by biodiversity and ecology, then forest protection.

How well balanced is the plan?

64% of respondents said that the forest plan addresses their needs very well, well or OK, and 46% agreed that it achieves an appropriate balance of social, economic and environmental objectives. 36% of respondents said that the plan met their needs poorly, and 54% didn’t think that it is a well-balanced plan – these were generally the people who expressed concerns about parking.

Feedback on the forest plan

In addition to comments about parking, the survey responses contained constructive and helpful feedback relevant to the forest plan and long-term management of the Warwickshire Woodlands.

There were some really positive comments:

“The forest plan is great in terms of conservation management and managing and encouraging biodiversity, especially native species.”

“The Forest Plan is an excellent detailed, comprehensive and extremely well-presented document.”

“I think the plans for the wood itself are very good.”

Some people expressed concern that our restock plans include conifer planting, and interestingly, just as many respondents said that they were pleased to see that conifers wouldn’t be removed completely thanks to their aesthetic appeal and value as a habitat for species such as goshawk.

Forestry England’s response: Our Warwickshire Woodlands are recorded as ancient woodland or PAWS (plantations on ancient woodland sites) which means that the majority of our restock will be broadleaf. However, we love the majestic Scots pine on the ridge at Oversley, and recognise the value of planting mixtures of conifers and broadleaves for all sorts of reasons – timber production, wildlife habitats and resilience against pests and diseases.

Some respondents were worried about the amount of tree felling that happens in the forest, and how it might damage the soil and harm wildlife.

Forestry England’s response: Felling trees is part of the forest cycle and keeps our woodlands healthy and productive. It can look a bit dramatic when it has just been done, but the forest is quick to recover, with new trees and vegetation growing in gaps, and wildlife benefiting from the temporary open space. When we are planning forest operations, we write a site plan which is discussed with, and approved by, our ecologists. They point out things we can do to protect wildlife, such as limiting operations to certain times of the year and weather conditions.

A few people commented on the bluebells in the Warwickshire Woodlands and wondered if they will be preserved during forest operations.

Forestry England’s response: Although bluebells are not legally protected, our forestry teams know the woods well and always take care to minimise damage to known areas of important ground flora, through the timing of operations and the use of appropriate machinery.

Car parking comments

As noted in the forest plan, the area at the eastern end of Oversley where people have previously parked their cars was closed recently due to the steady increase in anti-social behaviour (litter, dog mess and obstructing the entrance to the wood). During the forest plan consultation, many people commented on this.

Forestry England’s response:

• The primary access to Oversley Wood is from the public right of way running to the west of the woodland. There is a pedestrian bridge for this footpath over the A46 which is provided and maintained by National Highways (formerly Highways England). Whilst access from the west end of the wood has been long standing, Forestry England has undertaken improvements to the path surfaces to make access on foot easier.
• For many years people visiting by car have done so via the public footpath leading from Trench Lane under the A46 to the east end of Oversley Wood. This track is not a council maintained road, and legal access for vehicles is limited to the adjoining landowners. The ‘car park’, as referred to by consultation respondents, is not and never was, intended to be a car park. It is more properly a turning area for vehicles accessing the private farmland as well as forestry vehicles and timber lorries accessing the wood.
• For many years informal parking at the east end of the wood was tolerated. However, there has been a steady, if not rapid, increase in use which has increasingly caused difficulty through blockage of the access into the wood, and into the adjoining farmland. The dropping of litter and fly tipping in this location has also progressively worsened.
• Ownership of the land used by the public to park is split between several parties, of which National Highways has ownership of the larger area impacted. Forestry England supports the move by National Highways to regularise the situation and bring the period of toleration of the informal parking here to an end. This follows steps by ourselves over recent years to better control the informal parking by our gateway which sadly had no material impact in improving the situation.
• We agree that Oversley Wood is a pleasant wood to walk through and the opportunity to do so is recognised through our website: https://www.forestryengland.uk/oversley-wood.
• However, Oversley Wood is not considered by Forestry England to be a visitor destination, and we do not promote it as a place to visit by car.
• As such, Forestry England currently have no plans to develop a car park at this location. Our nearest site where we are investing in and expanding our visitor facilities is Wyre Forest near Bewdley.

There were also comments about parking and anti-social behaviour at Hay Wood – notably the huge number of dog poo bags which are left at the entrance to the wood and the fact that visitors park on the verges and in the gateway, damaging the roadside vegetation and blocking the entrance.

Forestry England’s response: We do not have the staff resource to empty bins regularly in Hay Wood, and so in unstaffed woodlands like this one we ask that all visitors take their litter home with them, including dog waste. It is disappointing to see that some people are not doing this. We are looking at ways we can better communicate with our visitors on the importance of both taking litter home and parking sensibly. We have recently installed new signage in Hay Wood, and we also have a new Community Ranger in post, who will be starting to liaise with local people and groups. Ideally, we would like to set up a volunteer group for Hay Wood, as we have in other local woodlands.