About the forest plan

The Sefton and Wirral Forest Plan sets out the long term management objectives for Kew Wood, Brooms Cross, Roughley Wood, Jubilee Wood, and Bidston Woods. It covers 210ha of woodland that lies across Merseyside and the Wirral. 

A forest plan defines the long term vision for a woodland or a collection of woodlands, and once approved gives permission for all felling and restock operations in the first 10 years and outlined approval for all the medium term operations (10-50 years).

Objectives

The primary management objectives for the Sefton and Wirral forest plan are:

Economic

• Plan for the impact of Ash dieback and Phytophthora with the removal of ash and the phased removal of larch. 
• Select suitable species to maximise timber production to ensure the woodlands can be managed sustainably. 
• Increase the area of woodland cover and use a wider variety of evergreen conifer species that will be more resilient to the impacts of climate change, pests and diseases. 
• Use a variety of silvicultural systems based around the light requirements of the trees present to encourage natural regeneration and help establishment. 

Environmental

• Recognise the significance of Forestry England’s land holding and management in relation to the water catchment area. 
• Continue to manage open habitats for flora and fauna. 
• Encourage the development of an understory and shrub layer associated to woodland edges as the woodlands mature for the benefit of birds and help link trophic levels. 
• Develop Sefton Woodlands as part of the Red Squirrel protection area through the removal of large seeded broadleaves (oak, beech, hazel) and the introduction of pine and spruce (cone bearing trees) and small-seeded broadleaves (birch, alder, willow). 

Social

• Continue to provide an extensive network of access routes for walkers, horse riders and cyclists. 
• Continue to promote open access on our freehold woodlands. 
• Look to develop links with partners to provide a wider range of public services with the focus on physical and mental health, families, children, education. 

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 young woodlands have now reached an age where they need respacing to provide the trees space to grow and mature. Thinning operations will begin in the woodlands over the next 10 years, and this will provide opportunities to remove diseased trees, open up paths and provide adequate space for the remaining trees to mature.  

As part of the government’s commitment to expand Britain's forests an additional 10ha of woodland was planted in spring 2024 to enlarge Brooms Cross woodland. The woodlands lie within the red squirrel conservation area, so species chosen as a food source used for recent planting and future restocking will favour the red squirrels over the greys.

The areas of clearfelling, restocking and new planting for the 10 years to 2034 are summarised below. 

All above figures refer to the gross area to be felled and excludes thinning* operations