Two woodland experts who are helping to transform a forest in West Wales into a haven for the rare red squirrel and black grouse are in line for a prestigious Forestry Commission Wales award - and a £1,000 jackpot.
Huw Denman and Phillippe Morgan are agents for Bryn Arau Duon woodland in Carmarthenshire, a 1,700-acre upland conifer woodland which they are steadily converting to a more natural continuous cover forest.

They are also developing the woods to conserve the resident red squirrels, which are being threatened by their larger grey cousins, and the black grouse, a rare bird which prefers open ground on the woodland edge.

This vital conservation work has beaten off stiff competition from all over South Wales to win the Woodlands for the Environment category in the first round of Forestry Commission Wales's Woods for Wales Award, sponsored by PowerSystems.

Huw and Phillippe will now compete against the People and Economy category winners for the South Wales regional title before going head to head against the North Wales winner for the ultimate Woods for Wales Award.

The prestigious Woods for Wales Award, now in its third year, aims to reward the best example of sustainable management of Wales's woodlands or innovative use of timber.

Huw and Phillippe's work to protect the red squirrel involves trapping and controlling the greys and actively managing the reds by supplementing their feeding through the use of special hoppers and by carefully replacing tree species after felling operations with those more favoured by the reds, such as Norway spruce and Scots pine, and smaller seeded broadleaf species.

Meanwhile, the woods are being improved for the black grouse by increasing the amount of edge habitat through judicious felling of the conifers, managing areas as open ground rather than replanting, and encouraging the spread of heather to improve the feeding areas for the birds.

FC Wales's Operations Manager in South Wales, Steve Hunt, said, "Many applications for this section were for general environmental work. But Huw and Phillippe, as well as attempting to convert much of this area to continuous cover forestry, are also working to conserve not one, but two, endangered woodland species on the European protected list."

Each of the category winners will receive a framed certificate and a plaque to mark their achievement.

The Woods for Wales Award finalists will be judged by Forestry Commission Wales commissioner Anthony Bosanquet and Director Wales Simon Hewitt. The overall winner will be announced at the Royal Welsh Show and receive an impressive shield and a cheque for £1,000, with the runner-up receiving £500.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Forestry Commission Wales's Woods for Wales Award is made annually for excellence in the management of woodlands or the innovative use of wood as a raw material. Winners in all three sections are selected in North and South Wales, from which two regional winners will be chosen. The Woods for Wales Award winner will be selected from the two regional finalists.

2. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for forestry policy. It sets an example of sustainable management in its own forests and encourages other woodland owners to do likewise, through grants, regulation, research and advice.

3. The aim of the RuralCare Grant Scheme is “to encourage and support the creation of new native woodlands and the enhanced management of existing native and other woods for maximum public benefit”. The projects will prepare the way for an improved environment that is capable of supporting a greater variety of plant and animal life in those areas that the scheme influences.

For more details on the South Wales winners, contact Steve Hunt on 01873 850060. Media enquiries to Forestry Commission Information Officer for Wales, Clive Davies, on 01970 625866, mobile 07788 190922.