During and after the site visit with Forestry England on the 5th October several residents, with the support of the Parish Council, expressed strong concerns about the clear felling in progress on the slope immediately north of the Ranscombe track as it winds its way up through a stunning forest landscape. The beautiful photos by kind permission of Ingrid Popplewell (below) capture the exquisite nature of this area. We are delighted and grateful that John Ebsary (the Exmoor and Quantocks Area Forester who led the site visit) was able to facilitate a revision of the clear felling, as detailed in his message below:
“Following a recent site visit with residents of Wootton Courtenay and Timberscombe Parish, and follow up emails outlining concerns of clear felling at Wootton Courtenay, I wish to provide response to this matter. After careful consideration, it has been decided that a proportion of conifer and broadleaf trees will be retained in this area. Some trees will be removed as part of the thinning process to remove poorer form conifer trees. But the landscape of the embankment will keep its character of ‘big trees’ while we continue with the planned clearfelling on the upper side of the embankment to produce sustainable timber. I hope this will allay concerns about loss of character while we are still able to achieve our short- and long-term forest management objectives.
The site will be monitored from a tree safety perspective and review of the woodland will take place at Forest Plan (FP) revision and new FP. The current forest plan for our woodlands across Exmoor can be read online at https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-planning/exmoor-forest-plan . At the point of new FP, Parish Councils will be invited to comment.
John Ebsary
November 2023
Wootton Courtenay 