The Compromise

In 2004 the Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales sent the map at the top of this post to the residents of Newborough. It showed that more than 100 hectares of the 600-hectare forest would be removed (areas 1 and 2), returning the area to dunes. Further large areas (3 and 4 on the plan) would be "thinned", creating a mixture of dunes and woodland. The only area of forest that would remain intact was area 5, effectively a thin strip of trees leading down to the small headland opposite Llanddwyn Island (partially visible in the bottom left corner of the plan).

Residents formed a protest group which included a petition with 8,000 signatures. At a meeting in Llangefni in September 2004 the felling plan - or Forest Design Plan as it is officially known - was scrapped. The CCW and FCW began a consultation period which would last three years. In that time it's become one of the most complex consultations for any forest in the UK.

Fast forward to November 2007, and the new proposed Forest Design Plan (the second map). Only the areas shaded green will be felled. The large blue area will be kept as woodland, but areas within it will be thinned and new species planted. The phrase "devil in the detail" was heard several times during the final Liasion Partnership meeting - exactly how much thinning will there be? But from my perspective, the latest map shows that the best part of the forest will be preserved. The Foresty Commission is at pains to say that areas to be thinned will still resemble woodland rather than tracts of dunes and grass.

Aside from the aesthetic, there is the delicate and very high profile issue of red squirrel preservation to consider. According to the Anglesey Red Squirrel project, which reintroduced the endangered animal to Newborough in 2004, there are now about 80 in the forest. The project has worked hard to get this far, so naturally they're concerned when forest managers talk about thinning and replanting.

Despite lingering concerns, I suspect the latest plan will meet with public approval when it goes out for final consultation next month. I believe Foresty Commission Wales has worked hard to create a plan that succeeds in balancing the interests of all those connected to the forest. But I also suspect that until we are several years into Newborough Forest's new future, no-one will be able to predict exactly how the plan will affect the red squirrels, the dune system, and public affection for this beautiful corner of Wales.