25/09/2026
Boughton Estates will be carrying out some pine tree felling in late October, between the quarry road and the meadow and contacted Martin Toms of Natural-Ise to look at the area and its impact on wildlife etc. Here is what he reported to us:
"I was invited by Jonathan Plowe, Boughton Estates Forestry Manager, to walk and look at a part of Weekley Hall Wood close to permitted paths, where they propose to carry out some thinning of pines trees. This will involve cutting out approximately 20% of the pine trees in this one area. (What Three Words passport.backpacks.dries) between the Quarry Road and The Meadow. They expect to carry out the works in late October 2026.
The first thing to say is that this is part of forestry management and not in preparation for any form of construction. Jonathan is aware that many of you enjoy walking in this very area and may be alarmed at seeing trees being felled. It's fair to say that there is some income to be derived from the felled trees for the estate. However, this planting, after the quarrying ended, was intended for felling every 30 years, which hasn't happened. From a wildlife and long-term biodiversity perspective, I am in favour of this approach. The pine trees are Corsican Pine, a non-native species that would not normally be found in England. The Estate will be leaving all of the native broadleaf trees that have seeded naturally over the years and with more space and more light, it is expected that these will grow bigger than they ever would alongside these pines. So this is a cut and leave to nature proposal that often ends with better biodiversity than trying to create a new woodland.
I should also mention (see photo of pine needles) that the pine trees are suffering from Red Band Needle Blight. It is thought that allowing more air to flow through the trees helps slow down the spread. Another example of how a monoculture planting approach does not work in the long run. The forest at Thetford is suffering badly from this blight and they need to prevent it in our woods, otherwise, all of these tress might die naturally. It might be interesting, next time you take a walk, to stop and look at some of the areas that have been felled and see how new ground cover wild plants and broadleaf trees are regenerating in the area left.
Finally Jonathan would like to point out the following for your own safety..
"Forestry is a hazardous operation and so please respect the warning signs and obey the instructionsâ. The permitted path may be closed for short periods (hours) for safety reasons, but it is not planned to shut it for prolonged periodsâ "
Please feel free to contact post questions if you are still unsure.
