Westridge Woods - Upcoming works

16th November 2025

I spent Sunday afternoon up in Westridge Woods with a group of local residents and other councillors. We are all wanting to see sensible forest management at Westridge Woods unlike the last time the company, F&W Forestry, undertook work up there.

As one of the ward's three district councillors I raised my concerns in a well researched open letter to F&W Forestry. Unexpectedly, they responded, not by acknowledging the shortcomings of prior works and maybe a promise to do better, but by accusing us of stirring up a "hate campaign". WOW! Anyway, the local project manager seems a bit more in tune and attentive to our concerns which is a relief tbh.

Every year, thousands of residents, visitors and Cotswold Way walkers hit the public footpaths that wind through this privately‑owned 41‑acre wood.

The Forestry Commission has recently handed out a new licence that builds on the one granted in 2022.

Back in 2022 Stroud District Council was consulted because the woods, shown in this map (new works overlaid on the original 1951 map), are covered by a Tree Preservation Order that was granted back in 1951. SDC raised no objection to the proposed 'thinning' works and the licence ran for five years and allows up to 30 % of the canopy to be thinned, spread evenly across the area.

However, many of us have been worrying about this next felling phase, which includes both “regeneration felling” and “clear felling" after the less than satisfactory “silvicultural thinning” project in 2023.

I have concerns about the scope of these new works relating to the TPO and I'm awaiting a response from the SDC Arboriculture Officer.**

Ash die‑back is hitting Westridge hard and one of F&W Forestry's objectives is to pull out the ash trees showing die‑back symptoms. Additionally, their plan breaks the wood into compartments, approving 13 zones for this “regeneration felling” (removing a few dominant trees so younger ones can grow) and three zones for “clear felling” (clearing almost everything). We've been told that the cuts will happen in small pockets and won’t exceed the hectare limits set by the Forestry Commission.

Councillors and locals know how important it is to deal with ash die‑back, but we want it done carefully and respectfully in this historic wood. So a new resident group, Westridge Woodland Watch, has been set-up which will share info about the forest work and track progress. If anyone wants to join get in touch with me or Cllr Catherine Braun.

** Update 10th December 2025

I was at a somewhat tetchy site meeting with F&W Forestry, the Forestry Commission and various councillors and residents earlier today. But as the walk progressed the mood became generally more positive and it turned into a good opportunity to improve mutual understanding of the felling work that’s underway. I had to zip off half way around to get back to Ebley Mill.

Also, I have now received the update from the Arboriculture Officer at Stroud:-

They say that SDC were not consulted about the recent works under the Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and have asked the Forestry Commission to guarantee future consultation on any licenses affecting protected trees.

However, on reviewing this new license, they say they would have issued a “no objection” response.

The original license allowed silvicultural thinning to improve tree health, while the new license focuses on dealing with diseased ash trees, regeneration, and clear‑felling, with strict restocking requirements for all zones. No further action is needed at this time.

SDC have alerted the Forestry Commission to concerns that the works might exceed the scope of either license, requested monitoring of the work and asked that the Parish Councils be kept informed. If any additional issues arise regarding compliance with the license, they recommend contacting the Forestry Commission directly.