About

The Thieves & Blidworth Forest Plan comprises two distinct blocks of woodland to the south of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. The Thieves and Harlow Wood blocks comprise of; Thieves Wood, Cauldwell Wood, Stonehills Plantation, Coxmoor and Harlow Wood. The Blidworth block comprises of Boundary Wood, Haywood Oaks, Sansom Wood, Watchwood and Calverton. The woodlands are surrounded by major routes including the A60, A611, A614 and A617. The great majority of Thieves and Harlow are leasehold woodlands with a small amount of freehold land in Harlow. All of Blidworth is freehold, with the exception of Boundary Wood which is leasehold.

The approved Forest Plan will provide an operational plan that will deliver sustainable forest management which has been developed to find the right balance of forest management based on the environmental, social and economic considerations associated with the forest and its surrounding landscape.

Objectives

The main objectives for the Thieves & Blidworth Forest Plan are:

Economic

• Due to the challenges affecting the economic viability of the woodland as a result of Dothistroma Needle Blight (DNB), choose silvicultural systems to mitigate what is happening to a crop at a given point in time.
• Restocking for production forestry will follow emerging guidance with regard to climate change and plant health issues. Plant a diverse range of species to create resilient woodlands to future pests and diseases.

Environmental

• Manage the naturally regenerating native woodland characteristic of the area; birch-oak woodland with acid grassland and Calluna heath.
• Protect heritage features of value and maintain notable trees of special interest.

Social

• Maintain the current recreational provision at these extensively used woodlands including the car parks and the business opportunities these provide.
• Rocks, earth bunds, trenches and barriers will continue to be installed to reduce illegal access by motorbikes and off road vehicles.
• Areas of the woods will be heavily thinned or groups of trees will be removed to help discourage anti-social behaviour.

What we’ll do

Planned operations within the 10 year period of the plan are summarised below:

• Felling of 110ha of conifers and 1ha of broadleaves.
• Restocking* of 125ha of conifers and 1ha of broadleaves. 

*Restocking refers to that area that may be under planted if conditions are suitable, as well as that area which has recently been clearfelled.

The species composition will also change from 65.2% conifers, 18% broadleaf, 16.8% open & other in 2017 to 65% conifer, 18% broadleaf, 17% open & other in 2067.

All of our forests and woodlands in this Forest District are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council®(FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). All Forestry England forests and woods are independently certified as sustainably managed, to continue to benefit future generations.