Sheffield's Wharncliffe Trails at Risk
We have recently learnt that Wharncliffe's famous 'Wharncouver' area is under threat of being closed down by the Forestry Commission because of potential tree-felling in the near future and some safety concerns. If you'd like to find out more or sign the petition to help persuade the Forestry Commission that they are a valuable asset follow THIS LINK.
UPDATE: We reached out to the Forestry Commission for comment on the matter, and here's their official statement:
"The Forestry Commission has supported different mountain biking activities at Wharncliffe for many years and will continue to do so. We appreciate that trails are much loved by the mountain biking community, and our approach has been to work with the community to make sure that trails and features have been designed properly, to monitor activity and to make changes where there are concerns that people visiting the forest could injure themselves.
We will be keeping the majority of the existing trails on the site. However, a small number are inappropriate and could be dangerous or obstruct other visitors and ourselves. When this occurs, we have a duty of care to remove trails that we consider are a risk.
We have engaged with the mountain bike community at Wharncliffe for many years through public meetings and identified specific areas where we want to avoid trails being built, and to highlight appropriate areas for trail building. The area in question is one where riders have for many years been asked to avoid building. Indeed, we removed trails and features from this area three years ago and offered the builders an alternative site. Unfortunately, our offer fell on deaf ears and trail building continued.
The tracks and features due to be removed are in the wrong place. They have been constructed near a National Cycle Route and are inherently dangerous to inexperienced riders who may inadvertently stray on to the course. Nor are the features of a type that we are prepared to accept because the consequence of novice riders getting it wrong could be serious injury - or worse.
Building activity has also led to a number of hazards in the woodland including deep holes close to trails where materials have been taken to build the feature. These are a danger to both mountain bike riders and general forest users who could fall into them. The Forestry Commission could be held liable if any injuries were suffered by forest users, and on these grounds alone we have a duty to remove the trails.
Furthermore, the trails have been constructed within woodland that is being restored to benefit wildlife. The work that has been carried out takes no account of the natural environment. Not only has it destroyed an area of Ancient Woodland, but it has damaged trees by undercutting their roots, piling soil up against them, and has obliterated natural ground flora of bluebells and other plants.
The construction, although looked on favourably by some parts of the mountain biking community, has caused great upset to other visitors to Wharncliffe. The local team has received a number of complaints referring to the damage to the environment and the perceived eyesore presented by the extensive digging.
The Forestry Commission has a long running history of supporting mountain biking and it is our intention to continue this approach. We are always inspired to see so many people being passionate about visiting and enjoying our forests, and we are happy to work with responsible members of the mountain biking community in Wharncliffe, where we will continue to manage the forest for the benefit of all visitors." - The Forestry Commission
Image credit: adamsarr.
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As someone who is at the sharp end of the forestry industry I can say that we owe a lot to the FC, NRW and other forest and woodland owners/managers. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have half as many of the trail centres that we have now. At the end of the day commercial forests are crops and there to make money, end of. Having trails go through them is a nice money spinner however the trees have to be the priority once they hit maturity. I would imagine that the demolition of these trails in exchange for some ££ (log prices are sky high at the moment) may actually help secure the existance of more established trail centres around the UK so there is a silver lining. So while it would be a shame to lose these trails it wouldn't be as if the FC weren't within their rights, or being particularly unfair either.
Also the FC,NRW, etc are forest owners/managers and as previously stated, they will sub out the harvesting of the trees so in many ways it may be a smart idea for someone to find out who the company is who will be doing the extraction, and determine their plans- if it is steep maybe they will skyline some of it which may be less damaging than driving harvesters and forwarders etc through. Unlikely, but possible.
As a caveat however, I have signed the petition- having only ridden there a couple of times about a decade ago they were tremendous fun and it would be a shame if they were completely lost whe careful planning could in fact save them.
Yes FC woodland is managed sustainably to harvest timber and make profit, that's fair. From what I gather that happens every 5 years in this woodland, and was done here extensively about 18 months ago, meaning no more felling is due for another few years at least. When that work was done some trails were destroyed to allow machinery to access trees, but otherwise it was left largely intact. A few of the larger features were destroyed on safety concerns too.
What seems to be happening here is not related to timber at all, but simply destruction of trails because they don't want them there. The safety question has been raised, but no-one is talking about felling or accessing trees here. What we want is a dialogue allowing both parties to work together; trails to built and maintained in a way that will allow the FC to continue to use the woodland profitably at no cost to them. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, or in any way getting infringing on the interests of the FC or other stakeholders.
Nice to see so many people stating that we (public) own the forests...having had many a skirmish with the FC, we (the public) very clearly don't as they seem to be a law unto themselves. So although the sentiment is correct, the reality isn't.
A real shame it has come to this, but it seems to be inevitable these days.
You wouldn.t go and dig a set of dirt jumps in the middle of a farmers field and expect them to stay there????
My FC (Haldon Forest) is unfortunately a bad one, in 10 years there's been tonnes of logging, no planting and only volunteer patchwork repairs to the trail, shame because the potential for Haldon forest is vast.
FC here seem more interested in making short term money than long term enjoyment for users of the woods.
The irony is the off piste stuff there is very rideable but the forestry seem to have little interest in progressing from the lengthy dated official loop
highest income of the forest industry comes from ... parking areas!
but please keep on doing that smart and super valuable monoculture + clear cut plantations.
I'll admit log scarecity and replanting is an issue however the industry itself is bouyant (we normally see a dip around this time of year but its cyclical).
While not necessarily that appealing a monoculture and clear fell is the only way to sustainably and efficiently produce timber in the quantities that the timber industry (i.e. housing, landscaping, paper, manufactured board, energy, farming, etc) requires. Remember, it is a crop, through which we are graciously allowed to ride through, which we should be thankful for. Also remember that only when you are willing to sacrifice a great deal of the things in life that you take for granted should anyone be crying out for a reduction in commercial forestry planting.
The moment a successful lawsuit falls on the FC all trail centres will close literally overnight.
We have worked with our local FC for a long time and understand a fair bit more of what goes on. We have a "legal" trail and work along side them to look after it and maintain it's safe to use for all. And it is in a working forest, which has lead to the trail being rebuilt and re modelled a few times as felling has took place.
"The commission was set up to increase the amount of woodland in Britain by buying land for afforestation and reforestation"
there's a fallacy there Jim, there is no such thing as illegal trail, no more than there are illegal trees or illegal rabbits in that forest. "Official" trail centres and the infrastructure around them, built with public funds are all well and good but IMO they're irrelevant to the issue around use of trails like these.
The issue seems to be the destruction of trails to prevent public access/use of them. No different from some quango removing every bolt on the Eiger and telling Joe public "nah this one's too dangerous, go climb somewhere safer"
I think we should oppose every attempt to prevent public access to and responsible use of forests. I also think there should be absolutely no liability for anyone injured on FC land either on official or unsanctioned trails. This should be made law and FC should not have to protect themselves as you say. I'd like to see big signs with disclaimers and legislation backing this.