When it comes to managing a forest, you need to comply with government regulations issued by the Forestry Commission (FC).

For newer forest managers and those responsible for sizable plots of land, these regulations can be very tough to figure out and follow. But you can meet these requirements much more easily by developing a tailored woodland management plan.

Forestry regulations

The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) is the technical standard for sustainable forest management. It’s intended for use by forest owners, managers, practitioners, regulators and advisers. And it may also be of interest to other land managers and stakeholders.

This standard is based on internationally agreed sustainable management criteria implemented in a manner suitable to UK forests. It provides a basis for regulation, monitoring and reporting, and covers best practices for forestry management.

The UKFS covers vital aspects of sustainable forest management, including:

• Biodiversity
• Climate change
• Historic environment
• Landscape
• People
• Soil
• Water

Creating a woodland management plan

You can comply with the UKFS by following a thoughtful and thorough woodland management plan.

The UK government website offers guidelines and templates for creating a woodland management plan, which we’ve simplified and summarised below.

You can also contact your local FC woodland officer for advice on completing your management plan, and to arrange a pre-draft visit if necessary. Alternatively, you can appoint an agent to develop a plan on your behalf by submitting an agent authority form.

Why create a woodland management plan?

Creating a woodland management plan:

• Demonstrates sustainable forest management practices
• Supports the planning and implementation of work proposals
• Allows for long-term monitoring of those proposals

Some grant schemes also require forest managers to have an approved management plan in place before making an application. The plan of operations, which forms part of the management plan, also lets you obtain a felling licence for up to 10 years.

How to produce your woodland management plan

Complete a management plan template

The FC has produced a series of templates to make planning much easier. These are available on the UK government website, and we’ve linked them in this article for your convenience. 

If your woodland is up to three hectares in size, you can use the small woodland plan template.

If it’s over 10 hectares, you can use the full woodland plan template.

For land that’s between three and 10 hectares, however, which plan you use depends on whether or not you want to apply for a grant for woodland management planning through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

If you want to use the grant, you need to complete the full plan template. If not, you can use the small plan template. In this case, you’re still able to apply for a felling licence.

For more assistance, the FC offers a very detailed guide for how to create a woodland management plan using the template.

What does the template cover?

As well as detailing the approval criteria used by the FC, these templates cover:

• Property details: Your basic information, as well as that of your forest
• Your vision and management objectives: The aim and management direction for your woodland, as well as how you plan to achieve sustainable forest management
• Prior achievements: How you’ve achieved objectives from your previous management plans
• Potential threats: Local plant, animals and environmental conditions that could affect your forest, as well as the likelihood of their presence and their potential impact
• Strategy of intent: How you intend to achieve your management objectives
• Monitoring: How you plan to identify and monitor your management objectives

The difference between the small and full plan templates is that the latter requires significantly greater detail.

The government website also offers three example woodland management plans to show you how your template could be filled in.

Non-Forestry Commission templates

You don’t necessarily need to use a woodland plan template produced by the FC.

If you don’t, however, you must include the issued cover sheet. This explains the UKFS criteria being assessed and provides a consistent framework for the FC to review your plan.

However, if you intend to apply for funding to prepare a woodland plan template through Countryside Stewardship, you must use the FC template.

Inventory and plan of operations worksheet

Regardless of which woodland plan template you use, you must complete the inventory and plan of operations worksheet.

The inventory sets out the compartments and sub-compartments of your forest. And the plan of operations provides information on felling and restocking, which is necessary for issuing a felling license.

This worksheet covers:

• User guidance: Helps you understand and complete the document in full
• Customer details: Personal information about the land owner or agent
• Sub-compartment record and inventory: Allows you to detail all sub-compartments that make up your total woodland, with an optional inventory section for your own management purposes
• Felling and restocking: Information required to allow the FC to offer a 10-year felling/thinning licence
• Work programme: Details of how you plan to achieve your management objectives. This is mainly for your own management purposes, though can be used by the FC to inform their plan approval process
• Species list: A reference sheet with abbreviations you can use to complete your table of operations more easily

The FC provides this worksheet as an Excel spreadsheet with formulas programmed in. This means the document will highlight any data entry errors you happen to make for easy correction.

They also offer a version of the worksheet without formulas so you can enter data more freely. But this means there are no built-in error corrections. If you complete the worksheet incorrectly, it may be returned to you for correction, which can significantly extend the process.

Produce a map

Maps help you provide information to support your management plan. It’s recommended that you use several maps to show a range of factors affecting your woodland.

You must ensure that each compartment you show on the map is included in your inventory and plan of operations worksheet.

You can create a map by:

• Requesting a map through the FC map request service, which is free of charge
• Using myForest service, another free service that lets you map your own woodland
• Using your own Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

However you obtain a map, you must ensure you have the right to use it for commercial purposes.

Your map must include annotations showing any designated areas or features. If a designation applies to you, you need to provide details.

There are a few search tools you can use to check if your woodland is designated or has special features:

• Natural England’s MAGIC map: Short for Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside, this map lets you check if your woodland is designated, for example as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). You can also search for other features such as scheduled monuments, priority habitats and species, as well as information such as Countryside Stewardship Scheme details for your area
• Land Information Search: This is an FC map tool for searching land designations or features that might apply to your land, such as previous felling schemes and grant schemes

Some designations require consent before you begin work on your proposed plans. If you don’t disclose them, any work you carry out could be illegal.

For example, SSSIs are protected by law to conserve wildlife or geology. If you own woodland on an SSSI, the FC provides support such as obtaining consent from Natural England on your behalf when processing your application for a grant or felling license.

Further forestry checks

You also need to identify common constraints and designations within your management plan area, as well as how to rectify them. FC literature on performing further checks includes:

• Forestry project checks: All projects
• Forestry project checks: Constraints

Submit your draft woodland management plan

Once you’ve completed your woodland management plan, you can submit it to the Operational Delivery Team Hub covering your area.

This submission should include:

• A completed woodland management plan template
• An inventory and plan of operations worksheet
• Your map(s)
• The GIS shapefile data of your map, if possible
• A plan submission proforma if you’re receiving funding from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Manage a sustainable forest to the highest standards

As qualified arborists with over 15 years’ experience, Chris Arnold Tree Surgery has the skills to help you manage a forest of any size.

For individual trees, we offer services such as pruning, felling and stump removal. And we undertake all types of forestry and vegetation clearance, including small- and large-scale mechanised works.

On a larger scale, we also provide comprehensive tree surveys and inspection reports. These are extremely valuable for accurately completing your woodland management plan, and ensure you’re fully prepared to manage your sustainable forest duties and meet FC regulations.

Contact us today for trusted forest management services covering the whole of the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.