There has been a lot of chat and speculation about the forestry work being carried out on Limpsfield Chart over recent weeks, so here’s a little bit about what’s going on in the area.

In case you didn’t know, the area in question – the northern part of the woodland that runs between Goodley Stock and Moorhouse Roads – is private land, owned by the Titsey Estate since the 16th Century.  It’s not owned by the National Trust, however it seamlessly borders the NT woodland, in the same general area without any fencing separating the two, although you’ll spot the odd little sign where the Titsey Estate ends and the NT land begins.

The Titsey Estate pine forest (it’s mainly the pine trees they’re cutting) is managed forest that has been planted in order to be harvested at regular intervals and also requires regular thinning for reasons of both biodiversity and fire risk. All work has to be approved by the Forestry Commission. 

To clarify: the tree harvesting on Titsey land has nothing to do with Ash die-back. The NT, however does have an extensive ash die-back programme in the area.

Growing environments need managing, and the lifecycle of tree plantations creates a rolling sequence of different environments, each of which favours different plants and animals and changes over time, much like un-managed areas.

The heavy rain over the last month or so during the forestry work, has unfortunately meant that the public footpaths and bridleways that run through these areas have got very muddy due to the huge machinery needed to do this very specialist work. However, the main paths will return to normal after the rains have abated and there may be additional path work where needed after the winter when the paths have dried up a bit, because any attempt to flatten them in wet weather will only make more mess!

We are extremely lucky to be able to enjoy this woodland area for walking, running and riding. And whilst a lot of it is part of the wider Limpsfield Commons area (which only means we have the right to roam on it using the footpaths), much of the woodland is private land and forest, which needs to be properly managed. 

Please be reassured that once all the work is complete, you’ll again be able to walk, run and ride the public footpaths and bridleways without your wellies, and while the area might look like a bit of a mess right now, once the ground dries and winter moves on, it will bounce back to normal in no time.

You’ll be pleased to know too that the National Trust continues to manage and improve its woodland bordering Moorhouse Road and Kent Hatch Road with the help of its trusty Volunteer Taskforce and new NT ranger, Conor McNeil.