BWW Specialist Assessors

 

Some management plans require specialist assessment, for example if a site is of high ecological importance or if an owner wants to use specialist management techniques such as Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). In these cases a specialist assessor will work with the management planner to produce a report that is incorporated into the management plan. The decision to employ the services of approved specialist assessors is taken jointly by the management planner and FCW.

Specialist assessors must:

• Have a thorough knowledge of their area of expertise including laws and regulations that must be applied.
  
  
• Understand Welsh Assembly Government and FCW policies relevant to their area of expertise and the way such policies are implemented within BWW management plans.
  
  
• Possess a wider understanding of initiatives such as Biodiversity Action Plans and Habitat Networks.

The following areas of expertise have been identified as requiring the services of a specialist assessor.  

SPECIALIST AREA	DESCRIPTION	MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF SITE
Continuous Cover Forestry Specialist	Prepares a CCF assessment for a plantation where there is potential for CCF transformation and the woodland owner is interested.	Minimum area for a CCF assessment is 5ha.
Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) Specialist	Assesses & evaluates PAWS and recommends appropriate management	Minimum assessment area is 3ha
Woodland Ecology Specialist	Undertakes ecological assessments on all native woodlands over 10ha that appear on the Provisional Inventory of Ancient Woodlands.
Deer Management Specialist	Prepares deer management plans for woodlands where deer are a significant factor affecting management, in keeping with the Welsh Deer Initiative.
Social Forestry Specialist	Organizes and co-ordinates dialogue between communities or interest groups whose involvement is an appropriate part of woodland management.

Code of Practice
All management planners and specialist assessors must follow the FCW Code of Practice that outlines the principles and conduct that they must follow when they carry out work within the Better Woodlands for Wales scheme.

Management Planners and Specialist Assessors
GL10 - Roles & responsibilities for management Planners and Specialist Assessors  (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 47k)
GL11 - The selection process for management planners and specialist assessors (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 29k)
AT12 - Contractual Overview - new arrangements for BWW  (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 78k)
AT17 (Formerly A8) Approach to IT Infrastructure & IT Skills (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 71k)
BR10  BWW Code of Practice for specialist assessors  (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 101k)

Special Assessor templates and guidance documents
SA09 Stakeholder Report Template - Example (Adobe Acrobat™ PDF - 73k)
SA09 Stakeholder Report Template  (888k MSWord™ doc)

Specialist Assessor application forms
A1 BWW Overview Application Form for Management Planner & Specialist Assessor Roles (MSWord™ doc - 290k) - Updated 7 February 2008  
A2 BWW Management Planner and Specialist Assessor General Application Form & Evidence Portfolio (MSWord™ doc - 433k) - Updated 7 February 2008
A4 Continuous Cover Forestry Specialist Role Application Form (MSWord™ doc - 303k) - Updated 7 February 2008
A5 BWW Plantions on Ancient Woodland Sites Specialist Role Application Form (MSWord™ doc - 302k) - Updated 7 February 2008
A6 BWW Woodland Ecology Specialist Role Application Form (MSWord™ doc - 299k) - Updated 7 February 2008
A7 BWW Social Specialist Role Application Form (MSWord™ doc - 303k) - Updated 7 February 2008 
A8 BWW Specialist Assessor Value Adding Application Form (MSWord™ doc - 939k) - Updated 7 February 2008