Dartmoor’s Future Forests: The Woodland Trust explores how developing the local wood economy can support woodland management
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-10)

The Woodland Trust used the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund to explore how developing the local wood economy can support woodland management.

The Woodland Trust wanted to investigate whether timber harvested on Dartmoor, because of ancient woodland restoration, could be used to reinvigorate local supply chains in a protected landscape and help to bring ancient woodlands into better condition.

Woodlands on Dartmoor’s National Park. Copyright Evolving Forests.

If a market could be developed for currently underutilised species of timber harvested from Dartmoor’s woodlands, it could provide an income. This would help woodland owners and managers to sustainably manage their ancient woodlands.

The challenge

93% of the UK’s woodlands are in a poor ecological condition and need to be brought into active management to improve their biodiversity, resilience and to support nature’s recovery (National Forest Inventory (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/national-forest-inventory/)).

Dense woodland in Devon. Copyright Evolving Forests.

The woodlands in Dartmoor’s National Park are no exception. They are comprised of a mix of conifer plantations, ancient semi-natural woodlands and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites.

Sustainable management of these woodlands involves some timber extraction to allow light in, to encourage development of new habitats to support nature and increase biodiversity. Many of these woods are in valleys or have poor access for timber removal. Woodland owners and managers are only likely to be able to sustainably manage their woodlands if there is an economic future for the extracted timber.

However, most of Dartmoor’s hardwood is being sold as low value firewood, which does not provide enough income to enable woodland owners to manage their woodland. This is because local manufacturers and sawmills are not currently set up to use the species being extracted locally. Instead, they are choosing to import softwood to meet their requirements.

The ‘Dartmoor’s Future Forests’ project set out to show that there is an alternative: locally sourced timber can be used instead of imported timber. By creating an income from timber sales, woodland management can be supported while still protecting and preserving the woodland.

The project aimed to:
- demonstrate the use of different timber types, both conifer and hardwood, available in Dartmoor’s woodland: Dartmoor sourced and Dartmoor made
- increase the timber industry’s understanding of the multi-purpose uses of local hardwoods
- stimulate interest in the use of locally sourced wood to create a compelling financial and ecological case for landowners to bring their woodlands into sustainable management
- document the project, share findings, and disseminate results
The approach

To be successful the project needed to develop a coordinated approach to timber resource management and maintenance on Dartmoor and demonstrate what could be achieved if this approach were adopted more widely.

The Woodland Trust received a Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/woods-into-management-forestry-innovation-funds) grant the year before to assess Dartmoor’s woodlands and forests. This gave a good understanding of the age, structure, species and quality of the woodlands and the timber availability on Dartmoor. It also highlighted the declining availability of key commercial species, such as larch and western red cedar due to disease, climate impacts, and the reduction in the creation of new woodland over the past 30 years.

Phase 2 of the project was to examine the timber market and was overseen and managed by Dave Rickwood and Stan Abbott of the Woodland Trust.

It was decided to join forces with Evolving Forests, a supply chain specialist and creative media producer that focuses on developing circular timber economies, designed to create better, more localised economies and greater woodland resilience, while supporting an analysis of the market. Several manufacturers were also identified to support in the development of new timber products.

Caroline Ayre, Policy and Forestry Specialist, Evolving Forests said:

Working with the Woodland Trust and the local businesses that contributed to this project has been very rewarding. There was some intrigue and perhaps some deep-rooted prejudices about the species that were chosen but the results speak for themselves. The story of woodland management, for primarily ecological drivers, which can in turn produce utilisable logs for internal joinery products and add value to those logs beyond the chip and firewood markets is one we will continue to tell.

The process

Working with Evolving Forests, a supply survey and resource analysis were undertaken to understand how the local timber market functioned, how timber was currently being used and to identify the potential for introducing previously underused species into the supply chain.

The species chosen were those that are heavily shading and need to be managed to increase light levels, and alder which is often being used to replace diseased ash.

Local companies were approached to trial the use of such underutilised species to understand how the timber would react in the saw and the kiln, and whether it would be practical to work with these species.

Small businesses were selected because they could provide flexibility, were able to naturally innovate responsively and could work with a diverse range of species.

Several trials were undertaken including developing and testing new products using smaller diameter timber that arises from the restoration of ancient and temperate rainforests, characterised by year-round rainfall. Devon also boasts the country’s only glulam facility, which produces glued laminated timber products. Kiln dried timber from all species was sent to the facility for trialling.

The result

The project successfully demonstrated the art of the possible – that timber from responsibly, ecologically managed woodland and from ancient woodlands can successfully enter the timber construction supply chain and provide an income stream for woodland owners.

A locally made beech door on display in dense conifer woodland. Copyright Evolving Forests.

Non-traditional native Devon species, particularly beech, alder and western hemlock have been fabricated into flooring and cladding samples and sent for manufacture into casement windows and doors.

The next phase will look to work with local businesses to expand what timber they can use and what products they can produce, and woodland owners are being inspired to manage their woodlands sustainably, knowing there is a local market for their timber.

Beech finger joints. Copyright Evolving Forests.

Jack Clough, Grant Manager, Forestry Commission said:

This project stood out as one which would stimulate a circular economy in and around Dartmoor, by creating and identifying new opportunities to match local demand for timber with local resource and supply.

What next

The Woodland Trust will continue to share the results of the project, inspiring and enabling others, and demonstrate ways of generating an income from the sustainable management of ancient woodlands.

This will lead to more diverse forests, with foresters having a greater understanding of end users, and end users being mindful that the timber currently at their disposal will be evolving.

David Rickwood, Site Manager (Devon), Woodland Trust said:

There is a need to bring more of our ancient woodlands back into management. In doing so we will create diverse habitats for our wildlife that over recent decades has been in significant decline. Yet costs associated with management are prohibitive. We have demonstrated that timber from ancient woodland restoration could be part of a local supply chain but we need planners and architects to look at these lesser-known viable wood products to create a demand for locally sourced and locally produced wood products.

About Woods into Management grants

The Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/woods-into-management-forestry-innovation-funds) were developed and launched in 2021 to support innovative projects that will encourage more woods to be brought into active management.