A “forest garden” in Brechfa which includes some of the world’s rarest trees has been acclaimed as being of national importance across the United Kingdom in a prestigious new report.
The Forestry Commission Tree Collections Report said Brechfa Forest Garden should be managed “for the benefit of science, education, recreation and the future needs of forestry”.
The garden, in the heart of the Welsh Assembly Government forest near Carmarthen, is the only one in Wales to be ranked alongside Westonbirt, Bedgebury and Lynford in England and Kilmun in Scotland.
It was planted in the 1950s by Forestry Commission Wales, which manages the forest, and consists of over 80 plots of different tree species including 14 firs and six oaks, as well as a range of pines.
A number of exotic trees not found elsewhere in Wales can be seen in the garden, where the conditions have proved to be suitable for species from the humid oceanic temperate forests of the world.
It also includes the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the rare Koyama Spruce (Picea koyamae), which is classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
The garden can provide vital clues to help us cope with climate change and make our woodlands more resilient to its effects by increasing the variety of tree species.
FC Wales Local Area Manager for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Dominic O’Connor Robinson, said, “It’s great that the forest garden has been recognised as a real asset – it’s a hidden gem.
“The plots have great potential for informing our choice of species within a changing climate and are an excellent example of how experimental forest practice can inform scientific thinking.”
The report, compiled by Hugh Angus, Head of Tree Collections at Westonbirt, says the five collections should be managed individually and collectively.
Deputy Forest District Manager Chris Botting said, “This national recognition for this highly specialised climate change tool not only recognises the efforts of staff today to promote and maintain this unique collection, but also an earlier generation of foresters who had the foresight to establish this area for future generations.”
Anyone wishing to visit the forest garden is advised to download the map and site details from the Forestry Commission Wales website at www.forestry.gov.uk/wales and then follow the purple way-marked trail from Abergorlech car park.
