Ufford
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
The Parish Council are aware of a number of Tyre/Rope Swings that have been set up in Parklands Wood.
The Council take no responsibility or liability for these and politely ask that the person/people who put them up, remove them at their earliest convenience as they are unlikely to want to take on the responsibility for them, especially any potential injury claim they may cause; the Parish Council’s insurance policy would not cover any injury or liability relating to these swings.
Ufford Parish Council purchased Parklands Woods (8.12ha) from Suffolk Coastal District Council in 2014. The woodland has historically been used by the community of Ufford predominantly for recreational purposes. It is the intention that this usage continue, along with more structured woodland management that ensures the woodland not only survives but allows an increase in biodiversity and habitat.
It is the intention that management of the wood will fulfil the Parish Council's “Duty of Care” and ensure the safe use of the woodland for recreation users, the public highway and adjacent landowners. The woodland has developed from Parkland that surrounded Ufford House that was demolished in the 1950s. The wood has a large number of mature and some veteran trees species (oak, ash, lime and sweet chestnut) some of which have already become over mature and have required remedial actions to make them safe. The long term vision for the woodland would be to create a sustainable, uneven aged structure to the wood; with a multiple layered canopy , through the use of a continuous cover forestry approach.
The Parklands Wood has an agreed Management Plan agreed by the Forestry Commission and a Felling Licence and are managed by the Friends of Parklands Wood. The group have been very fortunate to have secured funding from our local District Councillors to pay for the training of our chain saw user who attended a rigorous training course and then paid for the safety equipment, chain saw and other tools. We have worked mainly with professional tree surgeons who have used the felled wood to pay for their services. For more complex work to be carried out to older mature trees the Parish Council has paid for complex work to be carried out.
The felling of the Redwood Tree close to Redwood Terrace due to safety concerns was a very sad loss to that part of the woodlands. However the positive result was an award from the Lottery to help us look after the woodlands, to include a woodland and safety check, a bat survey, an information Board about the use of the woods during WW2 and a carving to be made from the trunk of the redwood. The works will hopefully be carried out during the year, and be completed in the early part of 2021.
During 2016 the group won an award from Greenprint Forum to have an Information Board designed, constructed and placed at the side of the Play Park.
As a community wood the Friends of Parklands wood have worked with the Woodland Trust, who have given the group over 500 saplings. These have been mainly used to create new boundaries to the Avenue and Old Yarmouth Road. A resident who wrote a book about the village men who served in WW1 donated the profits enabling the group to purchase three benches that are placed in the wood. The group have also worked with the Probation Service and with a Forest School.
Recently the Ufford Punch Committee gave the group funds to offset their carbon usage, these flowering cherries have been planted in an area close to a footpath so that as many people as possible will enjoy seeing them grow. In 2020, during the “shut down” due to the virus, the group suggested that villagers could adopt a sapling and even hug a tree. During this springtime many people have enjoyed walking in the woods as part of their daily exercise time enjoying the ever changing environment.
In 2020 the Parish Council and the Friends of Parklands Wood were awarded a grant from the Lottery to undertake further work in the woods to include the following: Tree and risk management survey, ongoing management of the dead and dying ancient trees for 1 year, an Information Board relating to the use of the wood during WW11, chain saw carving using the remains of the Redwood that was felled due to safety concerns in 2019 and a Bat Survey
The group will be back working in the woods as soon as it becomes possible
