A course designed for new or aspiring woodland owners and managers who want to manage their woodlands to balance environmental, economic and social benefits. Two days of classroom sessions and woodland visits are followed by a practical skills and woodland products day.

Course content includes:

• Principles of woodland sustainability and woodland resilience
• Different UK woodland types/categories
• The physical structure of woodlands
• Legal obligations of managing woodland (and some sources for grants)
• Impacts of UK woodland pests and diseases
• Developing clear objectives for woodland management
• Methods of woodland management and the main silvicultural systems
• Methods for the selection, harvesting and extraction of timber (via practical teaching/assessment)
• Timber conversion and potential products that can come from sustainably managed woodlands (via practical teaching/assessment

This course will lead to accreditation at Level 3 with the Open College Network, subject to submission of a completed course workbook for marking and assessment and field assessment of the skills and products elements.