How many trees will be felled?
It is necessary to fell trees as part of the management of woodlands and this is usually done in the form of thinnings. Typically, new woodlands are planted at approximately 2000-2500 trees per hectare. Once woodland reaches 20-25 years of age, thinning will remove a proportion of the trees, usually those of poorer form or smaller, suppressed individuals that have been out-competed by their neighbours. It is common for whole rows to be removed at this stage to enable machines into the woodland. Thereafter, thinnings usually happen on a 7-10 year cycle, retaining the healthiest and better formed trees to grow on to maturity. It is expected that approximately 250-500 trees per hectare will be standing when the woodland is 70 years of age.
