What’s Happened to Ainsdale Woods? The Grim Side Effects of Tree Harvesting

After some local mountain bikers and walkers had complained about the damage caused by tree harvesting at the woods in Ainsdale, I decided to get out on my fat bike to investigate. At first I couldn’t see anything, so I went back a few days later to go deeper in to the woods and film what has happened in a bid to highlight to visitors locally and from afar who may visit the area for walking or mountain biking.

Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve is a 67 hectare site comprising mostly Corsican pine trees and the dunes are home to over 450 plant species including 33 that are locally or regionally rare. The woodlands today support an important population of the Red Squirrel according to the Woodland Trust website.

I couldn’t find any news or updates to the plans on the harvesting at Ainsdale, however the consensus from the experts is that selective harvesting removes mature, diseased, or damaged trees, making room for younger, healthier trees to grow. This promotes natural regeneration and helps maintain a diverse and vibrant forest. It also creates jobs and income from the sales of timber as well as supplying a sustainable supply of home-grown timber for construction and other industries reducing the reliance on imports and strengthening national supply chains.

However in the case of Ainsdale, despite the above benefits, this has left a trail of destruction to the woodland trails, which take years to settle and this is what I attempt to highlight in this video, as well as my very basic mountain bike handling skills!

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