Over the next few weeks, an area of woodland owned by Zetland Estates will be undergoing forestry work. We are about to remove all the ash from the Mile Planting woodland in Richmond, with the work set to start 1st of October and be finished and replanted by the end of March 2021.

The reason for this forestry work, is due to the identification of the signs of ash dieback - a highly destructive disease of ash trees - within the woodland. In order to stop the spread of the disease and reduce health and safety risks to the public, especially with woodland running along properties gardens, we will be removing all the ash from the identified area. We have consulted with the Forestry Commission on this and we do have the relevant licence.

Although there are no official public footpaths within the wood we will be working on, there is evidence of a well walked route through the woodland suggesting people frequent the area. During this period of work, we advise people to stay away, especially during the felling stage, in order to ensure everybody’s safety. During operations, appropriate signage will be put up to warn people of the work and we ask the public to not ignore them.

Following felling there will be a replanting programme of mostly native broadleaf trees with a more varied species mix, to replace the loss, that will enhance this local landmark woodland into the future. Over the last ten years, Zetland Estates has created nearly 100ha of new woodland, which has added a significant percentage to the 220ha of existing woodland. The new woodland has not only seen 235,000 trees planted and maintained but has been linked to a significant level of Carbon sequestration - the long-term storage of carbon dioxide to mitigate global warming and avoid dangerous climate change - of nearly 25,000 tons over the next 40 years.

We thank the public and apologise for any inconvenience whilst this work takes place take place.