The first step towards taking control of existing woodland is to
categorise it according to its function.
There are four main types
of woodland:
1. Economic Woodland. These are specific areas, planted, managed
and farmed with the intention of producing quality timber.
2. Amenity Woodland. This includes single trees planted for their
beauty, belts of woodland planted to conceal an unwanted view
such as farm buildings and clumps of woodland planted to enhance
the landscape. The fact that these woodlands are required to be
outwardly intact means that any felling must be staggered and
replanting continuous.
3. Shelter. On some exposed properties belts of trees have been
planted to provide shelter for land and/or buildings. Before any
felling of trees takes place you must consider if this is the purpose
for which they were planted. Trees take a long time to grow and
shelter removed may well be regretted the instant the wind blows.
4. Shooting Coverts. These used to be planted simply to provide
cover for game. Today this is quite uneconomic and new shooting
coverts have to be planted with trees suitable to crop at some later
stage. To fulfil the role of a covert, thought must be given not
only to the size and shape of the wood but also to the layout (to
provide rides and so on) and to ensure that the future work necessary
in the wood will not interfere too much with the game.
If
you have to fulfil the dual role of woodsman and gamekeeper, you
may find continual compromise a necessity. Different individuals
performing the two roles will probably resort to the other alternative — argument.
economic forestry