FOREST residents are being given the once in a lifetime chance to have their say in the way their local woodlands are to be managed for the next 100 years.

The Forestry Commission is inviting the public to take part in a consultation for a new land management plan for the public forest estate.

The draft blueprint for the way the public forest estate is to be redrawn is to be called – ‘Our Shared Forest’.

The plan sets out key principles of land management ranging from caring and developing the trees and woodlands to how people use the forest for activity and leisure.

It includes sections on wildlife, water, soil, recreation, natural heritage, archaeology, geology and community involvement as well as trees and plant life.

It also lays out how recent changes have skewed problems in the distribution and spread of disease and wildlife populations.

It says: “Pests and diseases have multiplied in recent years for numerous reasons."

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S FORESTER