Coming Together as a Group

When a community decides it wants to be more involved in taking care of a local woodland, it is embarking on a journey that will be immensely rewarding and at times very challenging.

Community woodlands are established for many different reasons; to save a woodland threatened by sale; to see the wood provide more local benefits or to revive a neglected woodland. In each case a local community group has decided it wants more control over woodland decision-making.

Some community woodland groups are created by a ‘community of interest’ – for instance a group of people with a strong commitment to environmental concerns. Other groups are created by a wider community of people living in the same place. However the community woodland group begins, the more local support you can build the stronger your group will be.  

It is important to come together to decide whether there is enough local appetite to sustain a group over the long term (beyond immediate project funding). Some communities may decide the cost of transport to visit the wood regularly is too great, or they may decide to simply use a local wood more actively and leave the management to the owner.  

If you do decide to go ahead, then be sure to develop some common understanding within the group on your aims – try and reach a general consensus on why you want to look after the woodland.

Gradually some decisions on a Constitution for the group and a legal structure can be taken. There are many options to be considered when deciding on a legal structure (including charitable status, a constituted group, community interest company etc).  Guidance on this, and other factors to consider when setting up and managing a community woodland group are provided by Llais y Goedwig in our Links And Resources pages .

Woodland Opportunities Across Wales

There are many opportunities for establishing community woodlands across Wales. Some groups are able to purchase small neglected woodlands for modest sums, others have succeeded in raising substantial funds to purchase large productive woodlands.  

Many land owning agencies are keen to encourage more community involvement in their woodlands and have dedicated schemes to enable groups to create community woodlands on their land, often through management agreements. These landowners include: Welsh Government, local authorities, Woodland Trust, private woodland owners, the Wales Wildlife Trust amongst others. 

Working With Land Owners

Llais y Goedwig is happy to offer advice on a case by case basis. Contact Llais y Goedwig for assistance through our development officers and resources. 

The Llais y Goedwig Resources, created by members has a number of useful  publications and other documents  including  an advisory note ‘Managing woodlands with a community – a guide for landowners’. 

Welsh Government Woodlands

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) manages the Welsh Government estate on behalf of the people of Wales. Llais y Goedwig is currently working with NRW to review and revise the system for  permission to run events and activities or arrange longer term Community Management Agreements on the estate.

Find out more on the NRW Community Woodland Enabling  page. 

Local Authority Woodlands

Many local authorities in Wales have substantial holdings of woodlands. There is no dedicated scheme for community engagement in the management of local authority woodlands of the type developed by NRW.

In 2014 Llais y Goedwig contacted all the local authorities in Wales to better understand their position on community involvement in the management of their woodlands. The situation varies greatly but most local authorities will welcome approaches by local communities and are open to entering into partnership agreements.

Woodland Trust

Llais y Goedwig works in partnership with the Woodland Trust/Coed Cadw in Wales. The Woodland Trust/Coed Cadw  is also keen to encourage  greater community use and management of woods in their ownership in Wales. The Woodland Trust now has as one of its strategic goals the promotion of a ‘community woodland culture’ across the United Kingdom.

Private Woodland Owners

There are private landowners who are happy to be approached by community groups and to allow them to be involved in some way in woodland management. There do need to be clear arrangements in place between the community woodland group and the owner, for instance to ensure adequate health and safety cover is in place.

Wildlife Trusts Wales

There are six Wildlife Trusts that cover the whole of Wales. Together they have 23000 members, manage 216 nature reserves covering more than 8,000 hectares. Each Trust is happy to be approached by community woodland groups, with some good working relationships in existence such as Montgomery Wildlife Trust’s Dolforwyn Woods, and various Trust’s associate members of Llais y Goedwig, but there is no fixed process, it will vary depending on the priorities and resources of each Trust.