Grizedale Forest Plan 2023

Comments regarding recreation infrastructure in the forest.

Forest plans don’t directly address recreation – they are land management documents for long-term forest management and resilience.

Many comments from mountain bikers regarding condition of existing infrastructure, potential for provision of more trails and working with other groups, and the bike shop.

Comments relating to cycling infrastructure have been passed to the relevant recreation staff. The North Face trail has been closed following the winter storms and plans are being made to reinstate and enhance this offer in 2023-24, taking into account the views of customers and our onsite bike hire provider.

Some comments drawing attention to the omission of horse riders from the plan

The forest plan has been updated to include reference to horse riders as well as walkers and cyclists. Horse riders should be reassured that Grizedale will continue to offer over 80km of roads and paths, and 32km of bridleway open for use by horse riders. For more information on horse riding in Grizedale, please see the following webpage:

 https://www.forestryengland.uk/grizedale/horse-riding-grizedale

Comments about potential for improved provision for motorsport and vehicle users on unsurfaced county roads (UCRs).

Motorsport events in the forest are managed through a national agreement between Forestry England and Motorsport UK. Please contact your relevant Motorsport UK club if you have an idea for additional events or improvements for motorsport in the forest in the future.

UCRs present in the forest are managed by the local highway’s authority and concerns about their condition or potential changes to these roads should be directed to Cumbria County Council, or Westmorland and Furness Council from 1st April 2023.

Concern about damage to potentially rare roadside vegetation

We welcome any information members of the public may have about interesting flora or fauna in the forest. If you have spotted a species of interest, we would encourage you to record this find using the iNaturalist application as part of our ‘Forest Find’ project, this way the species found can be recorded and protected as appropriate. For more information on the Forest Find project, see the following webpage: https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-find

Concerns about Forestry England’s deer management and squirrel management strategies

Deer numbers can become too large for their habitat to support them. Grazing by large populations of deer reduces plants and animal diversity in the forest which can in turn affect soils and release carbon. Deer can also damage or kill young trees by damaging bark and lower branches, preventing forests from regenerating.

We manage deer populations to look after our forests sustainably. Our highly skilled wildlife rangers replace the role of Britain’s missing predators by sensitively and humanely controlling deer populations in woods. Our expert staff use trained working dogs to track and find deer.

For more information on Forestry England's deer policy, please see the following webpage: https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/managing-deer-the-nations-forests

Similarly grey squirrels represent a risk to restocking operations, and also have a significant impact on woodland biodiversity, and in particular the native red squirrel. As such Forestry England staff work with Red Squirrels Northern England to humanely control the population of grey squirrel in the forest.

Concerns about suspected trail hunting

Forestry England suspended trail hunting in the nation’s forests in 2020, and this activity is currently under review.  

If you suspect unauthorised hunting is taking place in the forest or on land we manage, please visit the following webpage: https://www.forestryengland.uk/trail-hunting

Concerns about the use of chemicals in the forest

At Grizedale forest we make use of fallow periods between felling and restock to minimise the need for use of insecticides, however in some instances the targeted application of pesticides is necessary to ensure successful planting takes place.  

The use of chemicals in forestry settings is closely regulated. Forestry England operations are planned using the principles set out in the UK Forestry Standard, and are certified against the UK Woodland Assurance Standard by an independent auditor. For more information about how we apply chemicals, please see section 6.7 of the UK Forestry Standard, and Section 3.4 of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard.