Goytre Wood, Powys proposal
Protect Earth are beyond proud and excited about our new community woodland in Powys. It is located in an Atlantic Oak Woodland region on the Welsh side of the Wales-England border, overlooking the beautiful Shropshire Hills.
In total, Goytre Wood comprises a whopping 70 acres of contiguous land. Twenty acres are existing woodland, and 50 acres are pasture.
Protect Earth has been making first-draft plans to develop the space in the months since acquiring the land.
Taking a page out of Google’s book when they launched their new AI tool Bard, we’re stressing that our plan for Goytre Wood is only in its first stages.
Nonetheless, we’re going to share - in Steve the Ecologist’s words (his passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm is too apparent in what he’s shared it would hurt to rewrite) - the plan as this is an open dialogue with anyone with a connection to Powys and Goytre Wood - we want feedback from the community who know and use the land!
The plan
Basically, all the valleys of Mid-Wales should be Sessile Oak woodland, gnarly, moss-covered, old trees clinging to the steep valley sides. Underneath the Oaks should be Hazel and Hawthorn as well, along with Rowans and Birch trees at the edges.
In spring, woodland like this is full of Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Wood Warblers, colourful summer visitors from Africa – and all declining due to habitat and climate change here and in Africa. This is the quintessential Welsh woodland and exactly the type of woodland we want to return to Goytre.
It’s a pretty big site, so we might look to turn perhaps two-thirds back to this type of woodland. We’ll plant at typical low density and leave gaps, glades and open space within the woodland. In total, we might be looking at planting around 20,000 trees.
The other third will be left and/or managed as other habitats. For example, the highest areas, where there are nesting skylarks and meadow pipits, will be left as grassland. The steepest bracken-covered hillsides or upland fringe (known as ‘ffridd’ in Wales, a rare and important habitat) will also be left as it is because it's valuable for different butterfly and bird species. Other areas might have been grassland for so long that they have become quite interesting botanically or have other rare species like Meadow Ants or Waxcap fungi – these areas will also be left and perhaps lightly grazed to improve them.
What has been done so far
An application is underway to secure a Welsh government grant for tree planting and habitat creation. With a bit of luck – if all goes to plan – we will be able to begin planting some trees this autumn.
Who will benefit?
Overall there will be a mosaic of different habitats supporting the widest possible diversity of species. Basically, turning the clock back to create a typical Welsh landscape of a few hundred years ago – one rich in variety, habitats, and wildlife.
And we’re also going to improve the access for visitors: benches, viewpoints, and paths. And maybe dig a pond and plant some heritage orchard trees of interesting local varieties and various other stuff.
To sum up
We must stress - this is only a working plan! And it’s only one-sided. If you have a connection to Powys, know the local ecology, and want to see something different - we encourage you to contact us! We are happy to work with the community to develop a woodland and ecosystem that benefits everyone.
