About the forest plan area

The forest plan covers an area of 2,612ha of which 2,222ha is woodland, dominated by conifers with some broadleaves. It lies 30km north of Birmingham and is surrounded by the towns of Stafford, Rugeley and Cannock. In 1958 the Forest and surrounding area (69km²) was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to conserve and enhance its natural beauty, taking into account the needs of agriculture, forestry and the economic and social needs of the local community.

Cannock Chase forest today provides a wide variety of ecosystem services to the region through its timber production and the diverse range of habitats and recreational opportunities it supports, while still retaining the feeling of a ‘wild landscape’.

The woodlands contain many historic and cultural features associated with past land uses dating back centuries; these include more recent World War I facilities which were used to train more than 500,000 soldiers until the war ended in 1918.  Over the last 20 years Cannock Chase has become increasingly popular with visitors, with approximately 2.5 million day visits now made to the AONB each year. 

Birches Valley visitor centre welcomes around 350,000 visitors to the forest each year and provides a wide range of outdoor activities. There are waymarked walking, cycling and orienteering trails through the forest, with camping and events facilities.

Objectives of the plan

The main objectives for the Cannock Forest Plan are:

Economic objectives

• Continue to grow commercial broadleaves and conifer crops using a variety of species that will be more resilient to the impacts of climate change, pests and diseases.
• Support the recreation and leisure businesses on site and in the local area by creating a diverse forest that will deliver a wide range of ecoservices.
• Use broadleaved buffers around heathland areas to reduce the risk of wildfires in the forest.
• Ensure stands are more structurally and species diverse through the use of varying silvicultural systems to link trophic levels both horizontally and vertically. 

Social objectives

• Promote Cannock Chase forest centre as a key gateway site from which an extensive network of promoted trails for walkers, horse riders, and mountain bikers originates.
• Conserve features of cultural significance including earthworks and World War I features.
• Continue to work with local businesses to provide a wide range of services and facilities on site.
• Promote the Active Forests programme aimed at creating a sporting habit for life for visitors through communication, partnership and engagement.
• Diversify species composition and structure, and plan sympathetically designed and appropriately scaled interventions to improve and maintain the visual appearance of the forest.

Environmental objectives

• Restore ancient woodland sites (AWS) by the gradual removal of exotic species.
• Introduce a wide variety of deciduous species that will be better suited to the impacts of climate change, pests and disease.
• Operations will consider potential impacts on protected species and their associated habitats.
• Continue to create temporary open space created through felling operations >1.5ha for ground nesting birds.
• Manage heathland habitats away from areas with increased visitor pressure that link the adjacent SSSI.
• Continue to work in partnership with stakeholders to deliver nature conservation across Cannock Chase.
• Manage trees of special interest (TSI) in the woodlands and demonstrate appropriate management to recruit future veteran trees and increase the volume and distribution of deadwood away from areas of high public use.

What we'll do

The plan details management operations including approved felling and restocking for the 10 years to 2034, with outline proposals for a 50 year period.

The current threat to the primary conifer species in Cannock Forest from pests and diseases will lead to a greater variety of species being grown. To achieve this, some stands of trees will be removed early to reduce the threat and stands that are dominated by Corsican pine will be diversified. A combination of clearfell, strip felling and continuous cover management systems will be used to provide the best conditions to establish future stands.

The planned clearfell and restocking during the ten years are summarised below. The additional restocking areas will comprise of broadleaf buffers established around boundaries to the heathland.