CLA event report: 'Where to with woodlands in the North West?'

70 farmers, landowners and forestry sector experts gathered at North West Auction’s Conference Centre for a ‘Where to with woodlands in the North West?’ event (1 February) which was chaired by Ross Murray, Forestry Commission Commissioner and former CLA President.

This collaborative CLA event was also supported by the Forestry Commission and Fountains Forestry. Speakers from the organising partners were joined by experts from the Woodland Trust; RAISE Cumbria / Cumbria Community Forest, as well as Oldham-based memorial tree planting charity Life for a Life and Lowther Estates in Cumbria.

The event highlighted the financial and other benefits that trees and woodlands can provide (small and large scale); to provide further guidance on how to expand, improve and protect woodlands.

A specific slot in the programme covered an overview of funding and support options for those interested in creating woodlands. This covered the Forestry Commission’s grant schemes the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) ) and the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG). In addition, an overview of Community Forests such as Cumbria Community Forest; Mersey Forest; City of Trees, including support within the Northern Forest.

Even though the event was aimed at farmers and landowners in Cumbria and Lancashire, delegates and speakers came as far afield as Gloucester, Stirling and Cumbria and Lancashire. Forestry experts shared their advice on creating new, and managing existing woodlands.

Event Chairman Ross Murray, current Commissioner at the Forestry Commission and former CLA President, said:

“This event was excellent in bringing together sector experts with landowners and farmers. It succeeded in highlighting support, expertise, opportunities and funding for those wanting to create, as well as improve the management of existing woodlands as part of our mix of land use activities.”

“We also had a fantastic range of case studies to illustrate the application of key principles in woodland creation on different scales. Of particular help was the illustration of the longer term economic case for productive woodland against stock farming at a time of declining direct support and increased farming costs. These included presentations by Philip Kersh, Director at Oldham-based memorial tree planting charity Life for a Life; David Bliss, CEO at Lowther Estates; and David Smith, Forestry Manager at Fountains Forestry.”

“Speakers, including from the Forestry Commission who partnered the event, reflected on planting opportunities of different types and scales, and how these can also benefit agriculture, in addition to sequestering carbon, enhancing biodiversity, growing domestic wood sufficiency, and public amenity to name just a few. Underlying of course the government imperative of mitigating climate change.”

The ‘Where to with woodlands in the North West?’ event was hosted by the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) and supported by the Forestry Commission and Fountains Forestry.

Craig Dinwoodie (Fountains Forestry) & Pete Leeson (Woodlands Trust) - Why Woodlands

Colin Binnie - EWCO (Forestry Commission)

Gary Waters - Community Forest Funding (Cumbria RAISE)

Hannah Marshall - Northern Forest Funding 2024 (Woodland Trust)

David Smith - Case Study 1 - Grants into action (Fountains Forestry)

Philip Kersh - Case Study 2 - Charitable plantings (Life for a Life)

James Ramskir-Gardiner - Agroforestry (Forestry Commission)

David Smith - Tree maintenance (Fountains Forestry)

Brontë Thomas - Resilience & commercial value (Forestry Commission)

Alastair Boston - Deer Management (Forestry Commission)

David Bliss - Case Study 3 – Lady Beck Wood (Lowther Estate)

Woodland Grazing Toolkit (Scottish Forestry)

Tree Planting and Woodland Creation - overview (Forestry Commission) - also referred to at the event was Bulletin 112 (1994) which pre-dates the UK Forestry Standard. The latter, now in its 5th version, is the standard for forestry practice in the UK. For woodland creation enquiries please contact NWWMwoodlandcreation@forestrycommission.gov.uk

CLA Guidance Note GN15-18: Forestry Woodlands and Tax (CLA members would be required to log into their account to access this note. Non-members interested in this note can email henk.geertsema@cla.org.uk.

North West Tree Health Group (Tree Health, Guidance, Working with Individuals, Cumbria Woodlands)

Tree Amble podcasts (Free, Tree Amble majors on regenerative farming and land management relating to increasing trees / tree cover. Accessible on most usual locations – Apple / Spotify etc. Access it via Apple