Forestry & Woodland

Did you know?

Sustainable forestry is based on the natural lifecycle of trees. Forestry England collect seeds from trees to grow in their nurseries. The saplings are cared for to make sure they are healthy and have the best chance at life. Trees are planted to create new woodlands and regenerate forests recently harvested for timber. Planting is usually done by hand during the winter, when the trees are dormant, to limit stress in this fragile stage.

Sometimes there is enough seed in the ground from surrounding trees to develop the required woodland, called natural regeneration.  But planting saplings ensures a new forest begins to grow more quickly.

As trees grow over the years, they form a forest. The changing climate means that new pests and diseases are finding a home in our forests, so it’s important to make sure the trees are healthy to combat this threat.  Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, converting it into wood. Using this wood later in the forest lifecycle to make products ensures the carbon can be stored for longer than just the natural life of the tree.

Some trees will not grow as well as others. Some of the smaller trees are felled to create space for the other trees to grow. This is called thinning. Thinning also lets more light in to the forest floor, which increases the diversity of plants and encourages more wildlife.

Once the forest is fully grown, it’s time to harvest the valuable timber. This can happen anywhere between 40 and 150 years after planting, depending on the type of tree.

In some areas of the forest only a ew mature trees are removed at a time, so some stands of trees are mixed in age. This is called continuous cover forestry. The land is replanted according to the forest plan and the cycle begins again.

Wood is a beautiful, strong and renewable natural material with endless uses. At the sawmill, the timber is cut into different pieces and used in furniture, fences and building materials. Even the bark, wood shavings and sawdust are used. Nothing is wasted.

From seed to tree – how seeds are planted and grown by Forestry England

https://www.forestryengland.uk/growing-future-forests-from-seed

How to plant a tree

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/advice/how-to-plant/