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We are often able to access grant funding on your behalf to fund woodland creation and management projects. Not everything is grant fundable, but we are expert at helping owners to make the most of funding available.

For woodland management and hands-on expertise, we can work with landowners in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

For Woodland Carbon projects and grant-funding consultancy, we can advise you anywhere in the UK. [link] We can supply tree planting material to anywhere on the mainland UK.

Our practical woodland management services generally focus on Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, but do get in touch if you have a project to discuss further afield.

A Woodland Management Plan is a structured guide document which outlines the future intended management of a woodland against a set of objectives. Normally drafted by a qualified forestry professional, it is bespoke to the woodland in question. It will articulate the woodland’s vision, aims and objectives, operations, monitoring activities and threats to the woodland over a 10 year period or more.

It is a good starting point for bringing woodlands back into management, or for new woodlands when they reach 15 years of age or more. Woodland Management Plans are renewed once their term expires, and objectives are revised during this process to meet the needs of the owner and the woodland.

In most cases, Woodland Management Plans are grant fundable and can open doors to further Forestry Commission grant funding. 

The key to establishing a successful new woodland, or diversifying an existing woodland, is to choose the right species. This should not only be suited to your certain management objectives, but it is also vital to suit species to the site characteristics too.

Due to increasing threats to woodlands in the UK from a changing climate, pests and disease, woodland owners and planters are encouraged to diversify species to increase resilience today and in the future. Threats to woodland habitats include:

• Global temperature rises due to climate change, suiting tree species from warmer climates used to milder winters
• Existing and new pests and diseases weakening and causing damage to or death of a wide range of tree species
• Increasing populations of grey squirrel and deer, damaging native trees in particular
• Increasing demand for timber as the human population increases 

Over recent decades, there has been a decline in the condition of woodlands and their associated biodiversity. Today, between 40-50% of England’s woodlands remain unmanaged, according to Forestry Commission figures. Methods of management can vary, but benefits include improving access into the woodland, timber production, increasing biodiversity, improving habitats for wildlife, introducing light for flora to flourish, and increasing the woodland’s future resilience to pest and disease.

If you would like some advice on managing your woodland or would be interested in a quote for a Woodland Management Plan, to begin or guide you in the process of managing your own woodland, do get in touch.

There has never been a better time to invest in the management of a woodland, whether large or small. The first step is to produce a Woodland Management Plan (for woodlands over 0.5 hectares you will be eligible for a grant to help with this process). Once the Woodland Management Plan has been approved, this will enable you to access grants through Higher Tier funding under Countryside Stewardship. These grants will enable you to carry out essential tasks such as squirrel and deer control, as well as controlling unwanted vegetation. At SWWM we can help steer you through this process.

Usually, yes. As well as the grants that are available to help manage your woodland, your woodland is a long-term investment that will provide a financial return. Active management is essential in producing good quality timber, whether that is fast growing conifers or long-term broadleaf species for hardwood timber. There is a diverse market for timber products. There are many other income streams available including Carbon Credits (via the Woodland Carbon Code), as well as the value that biodiverse, ecologically rich and quality amenity woodland can provide.

Whether your wood is an established broadleaf woodland or a young conifer plantation, active management is essential. A woodland is a long-term investment and without active management, tree health and woodland condition will suffer. The work involved in managing a woodland involves using specialist trades, whether that is for initial planting, tree establishment and maintenance, right to up to when the trees are harvested for timber. At SWWM we have access to expert contractors who can perform all the tasks that are essential for first class woodland management whatever stage your woodland is at.