Langley Wood National Nature Reserve - tree felling contract

Background to the job:

Natural England is managing ash dieback and hazardous trees along roads and footpaths. It is important that work is carried out sensitively and as specified, ensuring unnecessary damage to the woodland is avoided.

Timing:

Work must be completed by 28th February 2027, to avoid disturbance to nesting birds.

Nature of the job:

• Climbing ash trees is not permitted.
• The supplier will have the responsibility for carrying out checks of PRFs (Potential Roost Features). The supplier must have a trained person on site who is qualified to inspect PRFs for bat roosts. Supporting documentation of relevant training to be submitted with quote.
• With reference to the attached spreadsheet (Tree safety works 2026_27):
• Trees with PRFs will require inspection by a qualified person immediately prior to felling. If the PRF is identified as an active roost, work must stop on that tree immediately. If no active roost is present, the tree can be felled.
• Trees with no PRFs can be felled without further inspection.
• Any trees with PRFs that cannot be checked due to access issues should not be felled. A record of these trees must be kept and submitted to your contacts at Natural England.
• Trees to be felled have been sprayed clearly with the correlating number
• Trees to be reduced or dead-wooded will have a small yellow dot sprayed at the base
• Secondary identification tags are present in some cases.
• No felling over the NNR boundary is permitted unless agreed in advance.
• Trees must be felled to minimise damage to adjacent trees. The following is acceptable:

o Coppicing hazel or felling birch to clear the direction of fell

o Damage to oak branches below 10cm in diameter - providing no potential bat roosts are disturbed and no branches are left hanging from the canopy.

• For trees being felled with approximate diameters of 15cm or more, the main bole should be left whole if not on a path or boundary. Everything else can go into brash piles. In no access areas, the crowns do not need to be broken down, unless it's obviously unsafe.
• All other timber (below 15cm diameter) to be stacked in 2m lengths where convenient.

Site considerations:

Access by vehicle is only permitted as per the attached access map, vehicles must not be driven off the hard standing. Tracks are suitable for ATV/quad bikes only. 4 x 4 pick-ups/Land Rovers should only be used on the purple tracks (see site map). Any track or ground damage must be made good at the expense of the contractor..