Woodland Management Plan

Click Here to view Forestry Commissions Woodland Management Plan

The Woodland Management Plan has now been approved by the Forestry Commission and is live from 25th March 2026 until 4th April 2036.

In early 2024, the Sutton Walls Conservation Group began looking at ways in which we might be able to improve the sustainability of the woodland on the site, and in Spring 2024 we decided to embark on the preparation of a “Woodland Management Plan” (WMP).

A WMP is a formal public document whose purpose is to create a long-term (10year) sustainable plan promoting best practice in woodland management and covering eight elements (biodiversity, climate change, historic, environment, landscape, people, soil, and water) and must comply with the government’s “UK Forestry Standard” and be approved by the Forestry Commission. You can find out more about WMPs at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/create-a-woodland-management-plan

What’s been happening since then?

In November 2024 we submitted a first draft of the WMP to the Forestry Commission. We also went out to consultation on our draft aims with Herefordshire Council, the 2 local Parish Councils, the land’s owners, and neighboring farmers. These aims are:

1.To promote woodland diversity consistent with the history and location of the site, while preserving the integrity of the Scheduled Monument and its associated archaeology.

2.To proactively manage diseased and damaged trees in a safe and responsible manner.

3.To maintain and enhance responsible public access to the site.

4.To encourage community engagement with the management of the woodland.

5.To optimise management of those areas of the site’s woodland that are either adjacent to - or may encroach onto (either now or in the future) - areas of formerly contaminated land.

•In parallel with this, we had continued discussions with the Forestry Commission about our draft proposals, which led to the Group appointing an Institute of Chartered Foresters’ Registered Consultant to provide us with expert support and advice. The consultation closed in January 2025.

•Over the following months we remained in dialogue with both the Forestry Commission and Historic England, culminating in a joint site visit to Sutton Walls in late July 2025 where detailed discussions were held between the parties on the opportunities and challenges presented by the site.

•Follow up discussions between the Forestry Commission and Historic England were held to determine the final shape of the plan. The Woodland Management Plan was finalised and approved by the Forestry Commission in Spring 2026, and is live from 25th March 2026 until 4th April 2036.

Next Steps:

•We have applied for a grant from the Rural Payments Agency to pay for the production of the plan.

•We hope to be making an application for Countryside Stewardship funding to support the future delivery of the plan.

•We will need to produce an annual detailed programme of works to deliver the Plan over 10 years, including Felling and Restocking and Species management.

•We will need to appoint advisors to support production of the detailed programme and to oversee its delivery.

•We hope to start implementing the WMP before the end of 2026. If you have any queries or observations about the WMP then please do contact us at: suttonwallscg@gmail.com