Work to remove rotting trees along the Cwmcarn Forest Drive is progressing on schedule, but remains years from completion, Natural Resources Wales has warned.
The forest road was closed in November 2014 to allow for the felling of larch trees along the seven-mile drive and there have been repeated calls to ensure it reopens once the work is complete.
Around 78% of the larch trees, distinguishable by their short needles and cones, were infected with a fungal disease called phytophthora ramorum, which causes leaves to wilt and a ‘bleeding’ effect on the bark of the trunk.
The felling of around 150,000 trees in Cwmcarn should act as a preventative measure to slow down the spread of the disease.
Around 85 hectares have been felled so far, with approximately 62 hectares left in the Medart area of the drive.
Sally Tansey, Regional Land Manager South East Wales for Natural Resources Wales, said: “We have made great progress with the first phase of a significant felling programme. This phase was carefully planned to target those areas most used by people and as a result we are now able to reopen many of the paths and trails ahead of schedule.
“We have already started to replant certain parts of the forest that have been felled. The ancient woodland sites are now being replanted with broadleaves and as a result there will be a dramatically different landscape in the future.
“This is a long-term operation which could take between three and four years to complete but by targeting the high recreation areas first, we have been able to minimise the impacts on visitors and local businesses.”
Some popular mountain biking trails have been reopened, with up-lift operator Cwmdown once again taking bikes and riders to the top of the 1.6km Y Mynydd Downhill and the 13km Cross Country Twrch trails.
Nearly 2.5km of public walkways have also reopened, although several areas are still closed for felling and the drive itself remains closed to the public.
Chair of Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive, Robert Southall, said: “We are still pushing for the drive to be reopened, but it is going to need quite a bit of investment to get the roads back up to scratch and put barriers up to protect against some of the drops now the trees are gone.”
Around 14 hectares of native broadleaf woodland trees have been replanted in some areas of felling, with a further 70 hectares expected to be replanted by the end of the year.
Rhianon Passmore, Labour’s Assembly Member for Islwyn, recently visited the site and said: “Cwmcarn Forest Drive is a unique natural attraction in Wales. The potential could be immense.
“It is no exaggeration to say that this could be an intentional tourist hub. We know that people from across the globe want to experience first hand the wonder of the Welsh landscape.”
Steffan Lewis, Plaid Cymru’s South Wales East AM, recently asked First Minister Carwyn Jones to commit to working to unlock all possible funding sources, including EU funding, to find a solution that will ensure the drive’s future.
In response, the First Minister said: “I know there’ve been issues on the forest drive, of course, with tree disease in years gone by. It’s a hugely useful attraction for the Islwyn constituency, and we know that we need to access all the pots that are available to us in order to maximise the impact on the local economy that the drive provides.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Lewis welcomed Mr Jones’ comments and said: “It is encouraging that I have secured a commitment from the Welsh Government to work on finding funding for the Drive. It would be a huge loss for the area if the Drive was not fully reopened.”