AN 04: Getting to know your woods

Knowledge of your woodland is a prerequisite for successful management but when you start out, unless you are very fortunate, you are likely to have significant information gaps. Even if you do have a lot of prior knowledge, it is best to organise it in a systematic manner. This Advisory Note is intended to lay out the types of information you will need to prepare your woodland management plan (see Advisory Note 7). The list of information you need for management planning is long, but don’t be put off. Under the adaptive management principle, you can start managing your woodland straightaway using the best information available; you can then make provision for further surveys in your management plan and revise your plan as needed. This Advisory Note will point you towards pre‐existing data on your woodland and provide some simple ideas for carrying out your own woodland surveys. This Advisory Note can be used in conjunction with the Woodland Health Survey produced by Llais y Goedwig in conjunction with Plantlife.