Plas yn Iâl

Project aim:

• Improve overall woodland management at Plas yn Iâl that will contribute a sustainable timber supply towards the farm’s energy needs. This will be done by preparing and implementing a Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) woodland management plan, combining results of both ground and drone surveys. 
• In providing yield class and potential annual increment in timber volume for target felling in years to come, a potential value will be calculated and a figure for revenue determined.
• The sampling method/ground survey will gather both timber and commercial data from the woodland providing records of changes in woodland characteristics and structure over time to monitor the progress of the transformation. The effects of continuous cover management in improving beneficial outcomes such as conservation, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and other factors can all be easily worked into the sampling method.
• The vision for the woodland will be at the core of the management plan. The vision will steer all the operations required to deliver the desired outcomes while meeting the constraints of the site and any designations relating to the site. Continuous cover forestry will be used as the management approach to deliver the integrated multiple benefits of transformation.
• Providing an example of the integration of a farm woodland into the farm business, by promoting the potential economic gains of ‘forgotten assets’ will be a good incentive for farmers to follow a similar route. 
• The use of a drone and the data processing model is a new innovative way of forest management planning. This could provide benefits to farmers and foresters if the drone and software could be extrapolated further over larger woodlands.