Stanage Plantation felling – partial CP closure

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 LadyMargaret 11 Jan 2022

Work is about to start at Stanage Plantation and Hollin Bank car park to remove all the larch due to phytophthora ramorum infection. Weather permitting, it should be completed by the end of January.

All Public Rights of Way and Access Land will remain open, including the bridleway through the plantation, though this may be closed for short periods if felling is taking place next to it.

Part of the car park will be closed and used to stack and store timber. This is likely to be for longer (possibly until March). Please be ready to go elsewhere if it does fill up, and don’t park on the verges, for all the usual reasons plus there will be a lot of vehicle movements to remove timber etc.

I'll update with more dates when I have them.

More info and a useful map here: https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/frequently-asked-questions/tree-fe... 

Larch make up more than half the trees in the area, so felling will have a huge impact on the landscape, and woodland bird populations. We’re working with PDNPA on the plan for what happens next, including regeneration with native species.

Any issues with the works, let me know. Also, if you have suggestions for how you’d like the area to be restored I’d be interested to hear them.

Louise (BMC Area Access Rep for Stanage)

 Mark Collins 11 Jan 2022
In reply to LadyMargaret:

Thanks for the post.

Same thing happened near me a couple of years ago. The place looks quite different now,  tall thin silver birch trunks with tiny canopies in a field of nothing. Not much as far as I can tell has arrived to replace the Larch, although some path repair has been done after the felling machines departed.

Hoping for better at Stanage Plantation.

 Cake 11 Jan 2022
In reply to Mark Collins:

That's very sad. The larches are a good source of food for lots of birds around there. At least there are other pines in the plantation (I think) as well as big old beeches.

 Myfyr Tomos 11 Jan 2022
In reply to Cake:

Pines, unfortunately...  Commercial Lodgepole and Corsican Pine will be felled according to those in the know at Natural Resources Wales.  https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-di...

Post edited at 20:45
OP LadyMargaret 12 Jan 2022
In reply to Myfyr Tomos:

Latest update is that felling in the plantation is due to start next Monday (17th Jan), subject to weather and ground conditions. 

We're definitely going to see big changes in upland areas over the next couple of years as trees are removed due to disease - not just larch but also ash and others as Myfyr says. The long term vision for Stanage was to gradually replace the plantations with a more open woodland structure, so in practice we've just accelerated that. But things are going to look pretty sparse for a while.

You're right Cake that the big old beeches will remain, as well as small stands of other species that were in among the larch. I guess the view from the plantation boulders is going to improve!

OP LadyMargaret 19 Jan 2022
In reply to LadyMargaret:

Felling operations are underway and are due to be completed by the end of the week. Extraction will be attempted next week if weather conditions are favourable.

If the weather is not favourable, extraction will be delayed until they have suitable weather conditions. I'll update if this is the case. There are also updates on the PDNPA Twitter feed.

Information has been updated on the website: https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/frequently-asked-questions/tree-fe...  (URL says Goyt valley but it's now only about Stanage)


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