Hag Wood is a 46 acre woodland near Chester le Street, County Durham, that the Coal Authority bought in 2004 to contain and manage an ochreous mine water discharge from the Cong Burn which flows through the middle of the wood.
The wood is classified as a Previously Ancient Woodland site, meaning that it has been covered in trees since at least the 1600s.
However, around 60 years ago most of the native woodland was cleared and commercial conifers were planted in their place.
As this conifer crop of Norway Spruce, Larch and Scots Pine is now mature, the Coal Authority has taken the opportunity to fell the trees. Scottish Woodlands Ltd were engaged to manage the project and seek the necessary permissions to enable the trees to be felled and the woodland restored to native broadleaves.
Mark Carey, property manager for the Coal Authority said:
Hag Wood is one of several projects that we have underway in the north-east where we are working to not only manage the legacy of the mining that took place, but to ensure that this land is returned so natural systems can function again.
We take our nature recovery and sustainability work very seriously and are committed to protecting people and the environment on the coalfield. Hag Wood is an important project for us in this area and one that will be of benefit to the local environment by enhancing biodiversity for the future.
Jonathan Harker, senior forest manager at Scottish Woodlands Ltd, said
This has been an interesting project that will restore this woodland back to its original native state. It has involved the creation of an access road to enable the timber to be harvested and marketed to local sawmills and Panel Board Mills, which produce the timber products we all need day to day.
On completion there will be a combination of planting with native species as well as encouraging the existing native species present, such as oak, beech, holly, and hazel to regenerate on the site.
This regeneration work will provide the dappled sunlight conditions necessary to restore the diverse woodland flora which is a characteristic of ancient woodland and allow the sparse ground flora, including Wood Sorrel, Dog's Mercury and Enchanter's Nightshade which have clung on under the dark conifer canopy, to thrive again.
