Credenhill Park Wood to close for tree thinning works

Credenhill Park Wood near Hereford is due to close for a short period from mid-September in a bid to restore an ancient woodland.

The work at the Woodland Trust owned site will look to revive ancient semi natural woodland to some of its former glory by thinning conifers planted in the 1960s that are shading out many important woodland plants.

The wood is a well-loved and iconic feature in the landscape sitting atop a steep hill and surrounded by Herefordshire farmland. It is crowned with a nationally important Iron Age Hill Fort enclosure.

The Woodland Trust said the work is part of a UK-wide programme to restore woods that date back from at least 1600 but have more recently been planted with non-native species. Conifers such as the Norway spruce and Douglas fir seen at Credenhill Park Wood block out the sunlight and damage the rich and ancient ecosystem below.

Georgie Barnard, Woodland Trust contracts manager said: “By careful woodland management, letting light back in through the canopy, important ancient woodland species can thrive again. We hope local people will be sympathetic to the closures and recognise the long term benefits to these woods.”

The closure will be from the week beginning 17 September 2018 and will be for approximately three months.

The work will focus on selective thinning of the conifer plantations. Rather than clear felling, this approach of selective thinning, felling, coppicing and ride management, encourages natural regeneration. The aim is to restore the site to a predominantly mixed native broadleaved canopy with a rich understorey of native trees, shrubs and other plants.

While conifer trees will remain part of the overall long term make-up of the wood, they will not shade out the remnants of ancient woodland plants and trees.

The charity has already cleared part of the hill fort, revealing an impressive open space at the top of the woods. Further work has also taken place over the past year to improve the tracks through the wood, which have previously been muddy and waterlogged.  Visitors to the woods after they re-open, will see the most notable differences caused by the thinning in the southern part of the hill fort.

During the works, the entire wood and car park will be closed to the public as thinning is taking place across a wide area of the woods and the car park will be required for timber stacking and machinery storage. The closure is essential for the safety of both the contractors and public. It is estimated that it will take three months dependant on weather and ground conditions,