A grant funded long term woodland plan is a great management tool used for all decision making when it comes to woodland maintenance. With the completion and approval of a plan, a 10 year felling license is issued which gives great flexibility for woodland operations. WWM can write a long term woodland plan suited to your long term objectives, engaging with all the relevant stakeholders along the way.
Fencing is a great way to keep animals in or keep animals out. Fencing is also a great way to cut down on the use of plastic under woodland creation or replanting schemes. Whether it be deer fencing, stock fencing or post and rail fencing, Wessex Woodland Management can offer very competitive rates on a variety of fencing methods.
Pictures speak a thousand words, if done correctly, maps can speak many more. Maps are a good way of expressing ideas and help to communicate management objectives. Using Arc GIS, Wessex Woodland Management can produce a suite of professional looking maps suitable for grant applications, long term plans and other uses.
Tree health has never been so important. As more people begin to appreciate trees it’s important that they can do so without risking their life. Roadside tree surveys are a great way of determining the susceptibility of a tree to falling and causing serious harm. Subsequent tree surgery can remove this risk.
Weeds compete with the tree for water and nutrients, they need to be controlled. Predicted wetter and warmer winters mean weed growth will continue to cause issues if left untreated. Using our certified and trained contractors we can ensure weed growth is controlled, giving your trees the best chance of survival. Once the trees are well established pruning/removing lower branches is a great way to increase long term timber value.
In order to comply with any grant funding and/or the conditions of a felling licence for timber harvesting, planted trees which have died need to be replaced to ensure a full stocking density. By completing an annual inspection the following autumn, Wessex Woodland Management can give a good indication of the number of losses, provide quotations for replacement and carry out the work.
Before trees begin to grow, the ground needs to be prepared. Whether it’s using a digger and bucket to rake up and burn tree tops, or using a mulcher to mulch the site, WWM can appoint the right machine for the right job.
There will be many tasks in your Woodland that with proper training either you or your team could do without calling in the experts.
That’s why at Wessex Woodland Management we run over 20 course a year ranging from Aerial Tree Rigging, to Safe use of a Chainsaw to First Aid in The workplace, either as bespoke course or with other workers form the industry.
Have a look at the full list of woodland management and chainsaw training courses we offer and a detailed information sheet on the content of each course by clicking the link below. It will take you straight to our Training g page.
Alternatively, if you would like to speak to someone either about course content , suitability or availability, then just use the contact details at the bottom of the page and our Head of Training will call you straight back.
Pest control plays a vital role in woodland health. Grey squirrels pose real danger and too often we see catastrophic damage to the base and crown of vulnerable compartments; years of maintenance, thinning, clearing and pruning can be lost in a matter of weeks. We generally see this happen in the high damage period through June, where the sap starts to flow from the root system to the canopy, the trees are actively growing – this sees the grey squirrel strip bark to get to the phloem, where the sugar is carried.
If you spot them early, you will often see small trial patches, these are roughly 2-3inch square areas where the bark has been removed, to see if there is a good volume of sap to be had. At this point, grey squirrel control has to be conducted.
The Goodnature A18 trap is a grey squirrel management tool that allows the user to manage squirrel populations year round, efficiently and cost effectively. Unlike traditional spring traps, the Goodnature A18 does not need to be checked every day (once every 24 hours in Scotland) by law, under the Spring Trap Approval Order. This creates an opportunity to trap the target species throughout the year, managing the population more efficiently as opposed to a more traditional 2-3 week bust/boom scenario. Capable of dispatching 18 grey squirrels, the Goodnature trap resets after each strike and the counter ensures a log is kept, we recommend also using the trap guard to prevent damage. When the animal is dispatched, it falls to the ground and is scavenged by avian predators or mammals such as badgers and foxes. Due to the trap not using any toxins, there is no risk of primary or secondary poisoning.
The traps are ideally placed at a density of 1 per hectare, should the woodland be an irregular shape with high numbers of wildlife corridors, a more customised approach with more traps may be needed. It must be said, there are many squirrel traps available to us in the armoury, we should actively use any legal means to manage grey squirrels, as well as drey poking and shooting.
Integrated pest management does not only lend itself to the urban environment, too often we overlook how important it is to actively control pests within our woodlands; quite often due to the time constraints of traditional spring trapping.
The team a Wessex have been very proactive with the A18 squirrel trap to date, I would highly recommend asking them about how they can help manage the greys in your area.
Everything needs maintaining, woodlands are no exception. Newly planted woodland needs weed control while mature woodlands need ride maintenance and Hazel coppicing to speak of a few. There are a number of grants which can help fund these uneconomic operations
South Hampshire
A Woodland Improvement Grant (WD2), provided by Natural England, ensures the estate receives £100 per hectare of woodland for a duration of 5 years.
