Huw Denman: With Mr and Mrs
Holding.

WOODLANDS in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire have won gold and silver respectively in the UK’s premier competition for Silviculture – the growing of trees for timber or other crops.

Glynaeron and Ty Rhyg woods (part of Coed Preseli) at Crymych, Pembrokeshire, took gold in Royal Forestry Society’s Excellence in Forestry Silviculture Award 2015 with Penrhiwiar, Cefn Gwenffrwd & Cwm Cae’r Odyn (part of Bryn Arau Duon), owned by Ilchester Estates taking Silver.

The RFS Excellence in Forestry Awards rotate around England, Wales and Northern Ireland and this was the first year they had been held in Wales.

Glynaeron and Ty Rhyg are owned by Robert and Jill Holding. Their woodlands delighted judges who said: “This two-part entry was a very clear winner, scoring highly on all judging criteria. It was apparent that all aspects affecting the sustainable productivity of the site, for landscape enhancement, wildlife and archaeological conservation, soil and water protection, as well as timber production and income generation, had been addressed… It is an excellent example of the benefits to be gained from the practical implementation of continuous cover forestry principles.”

The Holdings said: “The forest is very important to us. We visit it as often as we can, sometimes several times a week and particularly get great pleasure from the stands managed under continuous cover. Not only are the continuous cover stands profitable, but they also feel like a real forest with big trees and luxuriant understory of vegetation and natural regeneration which provides habitat for woodland birds and other species. Selective felling every four years gives us a regular income from the forest and allows enough light to encourage the trees and natural regeneration to respond and grow. Being in Tŷ Rhyg on a sunny day sometimes feels like being in an ‘old growth’ Sitka forest in Oregon or natural spruce forest in central Europe. We get great pleasure from the fact that visitors like to walk in our woods and that birdwatchers come especially for the woodland birds and report them on the Pembrokeshire Bird Blog, and this is in a productive commercial forest.”

Of Penrhiwiar, Cefn Gwenffrwd & Cwm Cae’r Odyn (part of Bryn Arau Duon), the judges said: “We were impressed that within landscape constraints a very well planned sequence of forest operations was in progress designed to maximise financial returns while maintaining diversity of native ground flora within ancient woodland sites, and providing a venue of high quality for commercial and sporting events. Record keeping and monitoring were demonstrated to be of a very high standard while forest product marketing ensured that the best prices were obtained for all outputs from the forest, including large diameter timber which is mostly sold and used locally.”

Other Excellence in Forestry Gold Awards went to Caia Community Woods in Wrexham; the Llewesog Estate in Denbigh; Conwy’s Bron Haul Woodland; and Warren Woods in Bodfari.