Felling and replanting of trees to begin in Llantrisant Forest

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is to start clear-felling an area of trees in Llantrisant Forest, known locally as Smilog Woods and popular for walking and mountain biking.

The work to fell and remove the conifer trees from a 6.4 hectare area in the middle of the forest will begin early September and is expected to take up to six months to complete.

The trees, a mixture of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and Hybrid larch, are being felled as they are at the correct age to harvest to be sold as timber, and due to some hazardous windblown trees also in the area.

Once the felling has finished, the area will be replanted mostly with conifer, but some native broadleaved trees will also be planted alongside Nant Cwm-du, which flows along the edge of the felling area.

The timber will be stacked on site before it is hauled out by lorries. The haulage route will be south out of the car park along the forest road towards the A473.

A Public Right of Way path that runs alongside the felling area will be closed during the work. Signage will be displayed in the forest to inform visitors of path closures and diversions.

Richard Phipps, Senior Officer - Forest Operations, said:

“Many parts of the forests we manage across Wales are grown for commercial timber. This coupe of conifer trees in Llantrisant Forest was planted 46 years ago and is ready to be harvested.

“To make sure people are safe during the work, we will close some paths and we ask visitors to follow all site signage and to keep dogs on a lead around the felling area.

“We’re aware that Llantrisant Forest is popular with mountain bikers, with many unofficial trails throughout the forest. We will be working with the mountain biking community to manage the trails close to the felling area and haulage route.

“We will try to limit the impact on visitors as much as possible, but our priority is to keep everyone safe. We would like to thank everyone in advance for their cooperation.”

For further information, NRW’s South Central Forest Operations team can be contacted by calling 03000 65 3000 or emailing enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk