The future for Welsh woodlands over the next 20 years is to be shaped by a team of forestry experts assisted by a series of cross-border EU funded projects.
The specialist team will be commissioned by Robinwood, the project which aims to show how best forestry practices can help provide jobs and new income across rural Europe.
The Forestry Commmission Wales European Interreg IIIc project’s team will be made up of experts in commercial, social and conservation disciplines in Wales, who will work with colleague’s in Robinwood’s partner regions.
They will seek to find answers to the challenges facing forestry which were identified in a Robinwood survey earlier this year. These include encouraging new management of private woods, improving the rural economy through forests, identifying how trees can help prevent flooding and soil erosion and the use of wood energy.
Robinwood manager Paul Finch said the funding for the projects gave an opportunity to see what was happening with forests in Europe.
He added: “Now we are looking for a team of specialists who can take these challenges on board and find innovative opportunities for growing the wood fuel market, transport costs and carbon tax issues.”
