Essential ash dieback felling and associated works starting week of 27th January 2025 for 8 to 16 weeks

Essential felling and removal of ash with large machinery and associated work is due to take place in Sims Hill Wood, starting from week of 27th January 2025 for 8 to 16 weeks. During this time, some of the paths will be closed.  Please be aware it is dangerous to sit or climb on or otherwise disturb log stacks.

Several parts of the Sims Hill woodland are predominantly ash. Most of the ash is infected with ash dieback disease, which means that they will quickly become brittle, drop branches and eventually die and fall over. We need to manage those trees to minimise the risk to anyone using the woodland. You will have noticed previous felling to remove the most infected ash, leaving any showing signs of tolerance to the disease at the time.

The final major phase of ash dieback felling will now take place in the south-east of the wood. Please refer to the map below. Due to the disease progression there are no ash in this area showing signs of tolerance to be retained. The branches will be raked into dead hedges and the area replanted with a diverse mixture of tree and shrub species.  

The felling is approved by the landowner South Gloucestershire Council and is in accordance with FC Operations Notes 46 and 46b and approved felling licence FL-018-1441-2022.  

We are not able to sell logs to individuals, they are sold in batches by the felling company in order to partly cover the costs of the felling work.

Further felling and planting will still be necessary in future years but this will be on a much smaller scale. This will include any retained ash which become unsafe due to disease progression. Selective felling and/or coppicing in the oak and sweet chestnut blocks will also take place in small sections at a time as part of standard woodland management. This will improve the age structure, species diversity and resilience of the whole wood.

Further information on ash dieback, the necessary felling work and the volunteer group is available in a presentation and Q&A found in the 6th Nov 2023 post.

2025 felling area map.

2025 felling area poster.

Link to residents letter.

Essential ash dieback felling work starting from 27th Nov 2023 and the presentation, Q&A and feedback form link from the Community Meeting on 6th Sept 2023

Essential felling and removal of ash with large machinery is due to take place in Sims Hill Wood along with other associated work (including tree surgery work to the edge ash trees near Ros Broomhead Close and then mulching the felled areas to prepare the ground for replanting).  It will be starting on 27th November for four to eight weeks. During this time, some of the paths will be closed, see the map and safety signage in the wood.  Please be aware log stacks are dangerous if climbed on or otherwise disturbed.

The marked healthier ash will be retained and monitored.  All other ash in the dark green areas on the map will be felled and the edge trees by RBC will be pollarded. 

The felling is approved by the landowner South Gloucestershire Council and is in accordance with FC Operations Notes 46 and 46b and approved felling licence FL-018-1441-2022.  More replanting of trees and shrubs will take place in 2024.

Follow this link to see the presentation and Q&A from the 2023 community meeting at Stoke Gifford Retirement Village.  This gives information about: 

• The Sims Hill Community Woodland group and the grant funding.
• Tree planting and access and biodiversity improvement work taking place in the wood.
• Ash dieback disease and the necessary tree felling and removal taking place from 27th November 2023.
• The meeting Q&A session.
• Opportunities to get involved.
• Contact details and link to a form to submit feedback or questions and sign up for future updates and to get involved. 

A larger version of the Winter 23 felling map is here.

A link to the local residents letter is here.

Managing Ash Dieback

 

There has been a lot of work going on in the woods lately under an approved woodland management licence. This is a big change and has attracted positive and negative responses. 

The current thinning work is essential to address the ash dieback disease. Trees with dieback are weakened and more likely to blow over or drop branches. This was particularly important in the middle area where several paths converge. We are working to mitigate the effects of the tree removal here by replanting in that area soon. 

The disease spreads quickly through monoculture, even-aged and relatively young stands such as we have at Sims Hill. The thinning aims to remove the worst-affected trees and retain those which are showing a degree of tolerance. It allows light in to the understory which will encourage a more diverse ground flora and shrub layer to develop.

The new gaps allow us to diversify the wood by replanting with a mixture of different tree and shrub species. This will improve the woods adaptability and resilience to future climate change impacts. A varied mixture of species also naturally leads to greater diversity of wildlife.  

Where appropriate we will leave small open glades and open areas along the path edges to benefit birds and insects. We will create more deadwood habitat.  

New bird boxes are being installed by a local ornithologist and volunteers. The health of the ash will be monitored this summer and options for future management discussed.