Sustainable management of our woodlands is fundamental to tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises we face. Managing woodlands, through the planned felling of trees, diversifying the species we are growing, or planting new areas, presents a huge opportunity to provide benefits for the environment, people, and the economy. In England, only 44% of our woodlands are certified as sustainably managed, a figure the UK government is trying to increase in order to create and restore valuable woodland habitat and grow local timber production. A recent report by the Woodland Trust indicates that only 7% of our native woodlands are in good ecological condition. At the same time, we face a timber crisis in the UK, being the second largest importer of timber in the world, raising concerns about sustainability and security of timber supply. Woodland management plays a key role in addressing these issues.
Timber production
Woodland management has the potential to increase productivity and provide a sustainable income. The management of woodlands involves extracting timber through felling trees: periodically removing a proportion of trees in an area (thinning) over a 5-10 year cycle creates regular timber income and can be done in a way that is beneficial for the whole forest ecosystem. The act of removing trees also improves the value of the remaining trees in the stand, by creating light and space for them to grow into. It can also promote the growth of a new generation of trees beneath the main canopy, developing a multi-storey stand of trees of different ages.
Global demand for timber is set to double in the next 25 years, partly due to the push to decarbonise the construction industry, which currently represents 36% of global CO2 emissions. Timber is seen as a more sustainable alternative to steel as it is a completely renewable resource, and has lower associate transport and production costs. At the same time, the amount of coniferous forest in England is declining rapidly and not being replaced with new conifer planting, so we will see a shortage of home-grown timber produced in the future. This combination of high demand and low supply means that mature conifer woodlands present a valuable asset. Management therefore is the perfect way to extract value from woodlands through producing sustainable timber for the market.
Small-scale disturbance to the woodland ecosystem, such as thinning and group selection systems, not only benefits timber production in the long term, but also improves biodiversity – sustainably managing a woodland can create a diverse woodland structures support a range of woodland species.
Increasing biodiversity and resilience
Effective woodland management is essential for restoring woodland habitats and particularly in native forests. Well-managed woodlands include a selection of features that promote biodiversity such as deadwood, open space, edge habitats, veteran or ancient trees, coppiced areas, and a variety of tree species. Unmanaged stands can become dense, dark, and vulnerable to wind, pests and diseases (particularly where only one species is growing), which not only limits the ability of the trees to grow at their optimal rate, but also reduces the amount of structural and species diversity within the woodland. In recent decades, the reduction in traditional woodland management (such as coppicing and wood pasture) has led to the decline in many woodland bird and ground flora species. Restoring management practices can therefore create or reinstate a selection of different habitat types to support a range of species, such as managing open edge habitats for butterflies and increasing tree species diversity for birds – diversifying species and structure in woodlands has been shown to benefit birds such as the willow warbler, marsh tit and redstart.
Having high diversity of structure and species is also an important aspect of resilience, or the ability of a woodland to bounce back from an unforeseen event. For example, mixed stands of multiple species have been shown to be more resistant to insect pests, fungal diseases and small mammal herbivores, and growing broadleaves and conifers together can increase resistance to fire and windblow too. Incorporating a range of species suitable to the site (by looking at climate models of the future), resilience to climate change can also be greatly improved.
The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)
Timber productivity and increased biodiversity are not the only benefits to managing woodlands. In fact, the UKFS, the UK’s strategy on managing woodlands, details seven areas in which managing woodland brings benefits, including heritage conservation, climate change mitigation, landscape design, recreational access for people, water management, and improving soil health. Managing woodlands achieves multiple objectives at the same time, improving the state and security of our UK forest resource today and for the future. How then do we manage woodlands to improve their condition?
Woodland management techniques
Woodland management encompasses a range of techniques, including thinning (the periodic removal of a proportion of trees in an area), felling (cutting down groups of trees in one intervention), planting, coppicing, and more. It does not necessarily mean clearcutting large swathes of woodland at one time. The objectives and management of a site depend on the site conditions – soils, watercourses, topography, landscape and species choice should all be considered to correctly manage a woodland in the most sustainable way possible.
Thinning
Thinning is the process of removing a proportion of the trees in a stand (an area of trees) in regular intervals, 5-10 years apart in many cases. The aim of thinning is improve the growing conditions of the remaining stand through the removal of some mature trees in the canopy. Thinning dense stands of trees alters the light conditions in the stand, allowing trees to grow faster and stronger as they adapt to the change in conditions. Thinning can happen regularly across a stand (e.g. taking one in three trees in a straight row), or more irregularly, by taking small groups or individual trees. It is the main method through which timber is extracted throughout the lifecycle of a woodland stand, and is used in both clearfell rotations and alternatives to clearfell, such as continuous cover forestry (CCF).
Clearfelling
Felling or clearfelling has been the primary forestry management technique in England over the last century, to meet the needs of society during timber shortages, such as during the world wars. It involves removing all the trees in an area over 0.25ha in size at once, generating a significant amount of timber and leaving the stand bare of trees. Replanting follows, where young trees all a similar age are planted across the site at the same time to rejuvenate the woodland. Whilst this technique was suitable for generating high volumes of timber in times of crisis, it also has negative effects and is not always suitable for multi-purpose forestry, given the drastic effects it can have on landscape and the woodland ecosystem. For example, CCF focuses more on the function of the ecosystem as a whole, and promoting natural regeneration, rather than solely extracting the timber resource.
CCF
CCF is an approach to woodland management whereby the forest canopy is maintained at one or more levels without clearfelling. This is very different from a classic clearfell and restock system. With CCF, thinning (rather than clearfelling) is the main method through which trees are removed, and new trees which grow naturally on the site (natural regeneration) are encouraged to grow underneath the existing canopy. As mature trees are periodically removed, the improved light conditions allow the younger trees underneath the canopy to develop. A stand which has developed under a CCF system has multiple storeys, often incorporates a range of species and still produces timber from regular thinning interventions, without the need to completely clearfell and restock large areas. CCF can lead to a range of stand structures, including more regular shelterwoods through to single-tree selection systems – the choice of structure depends on the conditions of the site and the light and space requirements of the trees currently growing. CCF is not appropriate everywhere, so site conditions such as soil type, exposure to wind, age of trees and presence of natural regeneration need to be factored in when planning future management.
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional woodland management technique that involves cutting trees down to the stump and allowing new stems to regenerate from that stump (also known as a stool). Some species tolerate coppicing better than others, such as hazel, sweet chestnut and willow. Coppicing has been used to manage woods for thousands of years: not only does it produce a variety of products including beanpoles, stems for basket weaving, stakes for hedgelaying, charcoal and firewood, but it also creates great habitat structure for a variety of animals including the protected hazel dormouse.
There are a range of ways through which you can manage woodlands to meet your objectives. Managing woodlands greatly improves their economic and environmental value, and presents an exciting opportunity to improve the woodland resource for future generations. Actively managing woodlands plays an important role in recovering biodiversity, producing home-grown timber, and ensuring our forests are resilient to future changes in climate, pests, and diseases.
At Tomorrow’s Forests, we specialize in tailored woodland management strategies that balance economic returns with environmental stewardship. From assessing site conditions and crafting detailed management plans, to planting, harvesting, and ongoing maintenance, we can help you create a thriving, resilient woodland.
