Forestry students from as far afield as Iraq and America visited Coed-y-Brenin near Dolgellau to learn how Welsh forests are managed to meet a wide variety of needs.
Forestry Commission Wales staff gave the students, who also came from other parts of Britain and Ireland, an insight to how they look after Welsh Government woodlands – which cover about six per cent of the country.
The students were visiting Wales for a week-long summer school as part of their distance learning MSc course in forestry at University of Wales, Bangor.
Aled Thomas, FC Wales’s local area manager for Coed-y-Brenin, introduced the group to the challenges of managing a multi-purpose forest visited by thousands of people every year.
Kim Burnham, Education Manager for North Wales, discussed the issues that FC Wales has to consider when drawing up forest management plans in order to meet the aims of Woodlands for Wales, the Welsh Government’s strategy for trees and woodlands.
Kim said, “Our woodlands are important to people in so many ways: they help us to lead healthier lives by providing opportunities for recreation and they support thousands of rural jobs.
“They provide a wealth of environmental benefits and have an increasingly vital role to play in helping us to tackle climate change.
“Balancing all these different objectives is a constant challenge and it was fascinating to compare our approach with the way in which other countries manage their forests.”
The summer school is part of the three-year MSc course and is organised by the university’s School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography.
Course Director James Walmsley said, “We have received numerous notes of thanks from the students for such an informative and enjoyable week. The visit to the Douglas Fir stand at Ty’n y Groes was certainly one of the highlights of the programme.”
