Friday, September 23, 2016
The plan, at Doddington North Moor near Wooler, Northumberland, has a specific focus on extending the habitats favoured by red squirrels and helping to prevent future flood risks.
Andy Howard, project manager, said he was delighted with the level of public interest shown in the scheme at its public launch at The Glendale Show, near Wooler.
Mr Howard said: “Our proposal to plant over 600,000 new trees on a 354-hectare site (3.54 square km) is an exciting step forward for much-needed new forestry planting in England. New productive woodlands have a very different set of standards we must comply with nowadays, the UK Forestry Standard, and our design for the Doddington North wood can provide a very diverse ecology with a wide range of species of tree, plant, bird and animal life supported.”
The area is in the Kyloe red squirrel buffer zone and increasing habitat supportive to red squirrels is a specific focus of the scheme. It will also provide flood mitigation measures, as two tributaries for the Till flood plain below the site in Glendale start on the moor. Moreover, the woodland will sequester over 130,000 tonnes of CO2.
Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive of forestry trade body Confor has welcomed the proposed new forest as a huge step forward for forestry and the north-east of England generally. He said: “The Doddington site is ideally suited to a modern, mixed woodland that will sit well in the landscape, deliver wood to support local jobs and create more places for wildlife. It will also make a significant contribution to the UK’s climate change reduction targets by locking up carbon in the trees.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry, said: “This is an excellent example of the kind of thoughtful, modern, multi-benefit forestry which we need in our rural areas”.
“It will provide a significant supply of timber to support local businesses, as well as promoting wildlife habitats and contributing to reducing future flood risks. I have often stressed that if we drive up tree-planting as part of natural flood management schemes, we can have a major impact on reducing future flood risk. We are making progress in that area, but need to do much more.”
The forestry and timber processing industry is a significant employer in the Wooler and wider Northumberland area. The Doddington North woodland scheme is designed to create and support local businesses and employment, from the establishment phase of the forest through to harvesting when the trees are mature.
Tags: Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Chief Executive of forestry, confor, Doddington North Moor, England, forest project, future flood risk, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry, Northumberland, Stuart Goodall, Wooler
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