Management

If your wood is ancient or long-established, you may be wondering what you should do to care for it.

Grants are available through Forest Service for management of existing woods, and planting of new woods. Grants such as the Woodland Improvement Grant and the Sustainable Operations Grant aim to encourage the sustainable management of forests and woodlands, in particular looking after the needs of ancient and semi-natural woods. Woods on farms may also be eligible for grants under agri-environment schemes administered by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Northern Ireland.

Many semi-natural broadleaved woods will require relatively little intervention, though they can be severely affected by grazing or the presence of invasive species. Traditionally, many native woods in Northern Ireland may have been managed by coppicing, where trees are cut to ground level on a regular basis and then allowed to re-grow to provide a continuous supply of wood. However, scant evidence of this remains and it is likely the practice more or less died out much earlier here than in England. Unless there is evidence that species dependant on such a habitat remain, there is no rationale for re-coppicing a wood on biodiversity grounds when coppice management ceased a long time ago. However, coppicing in certain areas, such as along the edges of rides, can encourage a better display of wild flowers, so where the woods are accessible to the public can be justified on aesthetic grounds.

Plantations may require more management, particularly conifer Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), where it is important to conserve the elements of ancient woodland that remain and start a gradual process of restoration.

Parkland and wood pasture requires a different kind of management, and the ancient trees often found in such habitats may require special care to prolong their lives. Grants under agri-environment schemes administered by DARD also cover wood pasture.