From Wood to Moor – a Dartmoor Conservation Story (chapter 1)

26 Nov

When you walk through the wooded fringes of Dartmoor you may occasionally hear the rasp of a chainsaw followed by the thud of falling conifer trees. You may sometimes stroll by a stack of timber, perhaps wondering what that pile of logs could be used for. Following that train of thought, you might perhaps ask yourself the question, “Why are they cutting down these trees? Isn’t that a bit destructive?” Well, in many of these woodlands there is a plan, a conservation plan. And recently, the Woodland Trust and Dartmoor National Park Authority have been working together to put one of these plans into action.

So, it seems that this multi-faceted Dartmoor conservation story has many benefits; improving woodland habitat, protecting the retracting peat bogs, up-skilling young trainees and a positive use for local timber. Jim White, the timber producer summed it up saying,

“It’s good to know that this larch has found a sustainable end use. Larger sawmills may not have accepted this small diameter timber and it may have been converted to pulp but, with the quality of this timber, I think it was worthy of much better. Milling it into smaller sections allowed us to recover more material, reducing the waste.”

Proof that, by working together, the people, wildlife, woods and moors can all benefit from a good Conservation Plan.