About

This Forest Plan (FP) summarises proposals by Forestry England for the management of the Fermyn Woods in North Northamptonshire. The Fermyn Woods FP area totals 918.9ha and comprises the woods of Harry’s Park (232.3ha), Mounterley (23.9ha), Cherry Lap (99.4ha), Souther (202.1ha), Titchmarsh (181.7ha), Lilford (30.7ha), Wadenhoe Great (33.6ha), Wadenhoe Little (11.8ha), Bearshank (45.3ha) and Oundle (58.1ha).

The Fermyn Woods sit within the Rockingham Forest National Character Area. The landscape is a patchwork of woodland and large to medium sized fields of mainly mixed use surrounding small nucleated villages. Although not forming continuous belts, the blocks of woodland often coalesce visually with hedgerow trees and smaller copses to increase the perception of extensive woodland cover across the landscape. Landform in the local landscape is fairly low-lying and undulating, with the elevation of the woods ranging from 38m in Oundle to 106m in Harry’s Park. Locally the woods are visible from parts of Corby, local villages, public roads and footpaths.

The woodlands themselves are predominantly Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) and Ancient and Semi-Natural Woodland, plus a mix of broadleaved and coniferous secondary woodland.

Objectives

The primary management objectives for Fermyn Woods are to:

• Continue the restoration of PAWS, and maintain and improve the ecological value of the lowland mixed deciduous woodland and lowland meadow priority habitats.
• Manage important open and woodland edge habitats to benefit flora and fauna, maintain botanically rich rides, and continue the partnership with Butterfly Conservation to enhance habitat conditions.
• Sustainably grow commercial timber using species and systems resilient to the impacts of pests, diseases and climate change to maximise yields and prioritise timber quality.
• Conserve the heritage features and maintain existing public access in freehold areas.

What we'll do

The current plan outlines the management proposals for the Fermyn Woods over the next 50 years. Felling is approved for the 10 year Forest Plan period until 21st March 2035. In addition to the below felling summary, thinning assessments will be made every 5 years and thinning operations scheduled accordingly.

A more detailed outline of the forest structure and planned operations can be seen in the full Fermyn Woods Forest Plan document.