The theory and practice of managing woodlands in a way that benefits people and wildlife.

Winner of the Woodlands Awards Best Woodlands Course 2017, this highly practical five-day course gets you out into the woods learning the skills and techniques of sustainable woodland management.

Key information

• Duration: five days
• Upcoming dates: Monday 24th – Friday 28th March 2025
• Start and finish times: starts at 2pm and ends at 2pm on the last day
• Fees: £650 including Lunch, tuition and all materials. Optional AIM accreditation (formally OCN) : £100 (this option will be available when booking).
• Full board accommodation is available for this course: £456 for a single person bedroom. (This option will become available once you click “Available” or “Book Now” below
• Includes: tuition, course materials and lunches.
• What to bring: as this is a highly practical course, safety boots are required and waterproof clothing is recommended.
• Terms and Conditions:
  • you must be 18 years or over to attend our courses.
  • For full list of terms and conditions click here

What you will learn

Learn how to make the most of our natural resources on this highly practical course. Gain a comprehensive overview of how to manage woodland sustainably, looking at biodiversity conservation and woodland management skills.

This course covers both practical and theoretical aspects of managing a small wood, and you’ll be spending most of your time in CAT’s beautiful and sustainably managed woodland Coed Gwern.

Topics covered include:

• The importance of sustainability in woodland management.
• Techniques to identify different types of woodland, to assess and monitor wildlife, and to help promote biodiversity.
• How to process timber, including calculating timber sizes and volumes as well as using appropriate extraction, stacking, bundling, seasoning, cutting, splitting and conversion methods.
• Financial aspects, including assessing the value of woodlands and adding to this through woodland crafts and products. Specifically, we look at cleaving, weaving and turning, as well as charcoal, woodfuel and timber production.
• Legal issues, including woodland and wildlife protection laws, insurance, felling licences and management contracts.
• The value of local community support and the importance of community access and involvement in woodlands, focusing on woodland activities, links with local culture, and methods of raising awareness and involvement.
• Health and safety implications, including guidelines on undertaking risk assessments.

This course is perfect for you if you are either currently managing or planning to manage woodland and wish to learn how to add value from a social, economic and ecological standpoint.

By the end of the course you’ll have the foundations to confidently approach your own woodland management issues.

This course includes the option to accredit your learning with AIM (formally the Open College Network) if you complete the additional coursework. The cost of this is £90 and we will need to know at least 30 days in advance of the course if you wish to do this. We cannot register you to do this AIM qualification once the course has started. Please email courses@cat.org.uk as soon as possible to register and pay the fee.

Meet your tutor

The main tutor for this course is Rob Goodsell.

Rob has been working for CAT for eleven years. He is currently involved in managing four woodlands of differing natures using sustainable management principles, focusing on the relationship between conservation, resilience, human interaction and economic realities.