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Coed Y Bont is a community woodland owned by NRW and co-managed by a group of dedicated people from the Pontrhydfendigaid area who have got together to develop woodland, made up of Coed Dolgoed and Coed Cnwch, for the benefit of the local community.
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Coetir cymunedol yw Coed-y-Bont, sy’n eiddo i Adnoddau Naturiol Cymru ac sy’n cael ei gyd-reoli gan grŵp o bobl ymroddedig o ardal Pontrhydfendigaid. Daethant at ei gilydd i ddatblygu’r coetir – sy’n cynnwys Coed Dolgoed a Coed Cnwch – er budd y gymuned leol.
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Coed Y Bont lies within the buffer zone of the mid Wales red squirrel focal site, and is not that far from Cwm Berwyn where a red squirrel research project was carried out by the MISE project in 2014. In the interests of red squirrel conservation, group member, Chris Harris, having been involved in the MISE project and also the voluntary Trap Loan Scheme Coordinator for the Pontrhydfendigaid area, has been leading a grey squirrel control program in the woodland. So far, the grey squirrel population in Coed Y Bont has been reduced by over 35, a much needed contribution to the combined grey squirrel control efforts across the focal site. Let’s hope that one day soon, red squirrels will be seen in Coed Y Bont!
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Coed Y Bont Woodland group held an Official Opening on the 25th Sept 2015 at Pontrhydfendigaid's Community Woodland. Group member, Geoff Lester gives a summary of the day:
A bright, sunny Friday morning saw the Official Opening of Coed y Bont get underway. A number of volunteers carried
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out various tasks, some marshalling vehicles at the temporary car park along the main track, some leading the guests and visitors on a walk around the new paths, whilst others made sure everything was in place and ready for for a buffet and display in the village hall. It was a lovely sight, to see so many people arrive at the woodland to celebrate the occasion.
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They represented the many organisations, grant funders, advisors, friends, volunteers and community members who had made the project possible. Proceedings were started by Jim Cowie, chairman of the Coed y Bont committee. Jim explained that the project had been a huge team effort, during which grant funding of over £92,000 had been raised and he thanked the many organisations and individuals had played a role.
Brian Hanwell, Local Area Manager for Natural Resources Wales, explained how much the woodland had been transformed for the better over the past 10 years and how he had enjoyed working with the people in Bont on the Community Woodland project. He went on to thank his staff, colleagues and contractors for constructing the new paths … on time despite strict deadlines.
Pupils from Bont School took part in activities arranged to illustrate the educational benefits of the woodland. Iolo Williams, the well know naturalist and television broadcaster, and principal guest of honour, gave a short speech before the symbolic ceremony of cutting the ribbon to officially open the new woodland paths. There was a photo opportunity for the youngsters of the Ysgol Feithrin who gathered around Iolo Williams as he sat on the path-side and chatted to them. A lovely touch!
informal group walk around the new paths followed with members of Coed y Bont and Natural Resources Wales on hand to offer information. The event then moved from the woodland to the village hall for a rolling photographic show prepared by Mike Buzzard showing the path construction plus some of the events and activities which have been held in the woodland over the year.
Everyone commented and said how much they had enjoyed the event. It couldn’t have gone any better - it was a resounding success!
Coed Y Bont is on the Abbey road in the direction of Strata Florida from Pontrhydfendigaid, grid reference: SN737659; there is a car park on the right. Visit this autumn to try out the new footpaths and to see amazing autumn colours; look out for interesting woodland fungi! To get involved in monthly volunteer work party sessions in the woods, contact Jim Cowie
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Huw Denman , coedwigwr ac ecolegydd gwiwerod, yn rhoi sgwrs i dîm Glastir, cynllun amaeth-amgylcheddol sy’n cael ei redeg gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Bu Huw’n arwain taith dywys o amgylch Bryn Arau Duon , planhigfa goedwigaeth gymysg ger Cwrtycadno. Rhoddwyd y prif sylw i reoli coetiroedd ar gyfer gwiwerod coch ; gobeithiwn y bydd y swyddogion yn rhoi ar waith yr hyn a glywsant gan Huw, wrth iddyn nhw roi cyngor i dirfeddianwyr yn y Prif Barth Gwarchod Gwiwerod Coch.
Mae Huw yn rheoli’r coetir hwn er budd gwiwerod coch ers dros 15 mlynedd. Dywedodd Huw: "Er taw’r prif amcan yw cynhyrchu coed, rwyf wedi dangos fod technegau rheoli priodol, fel coedwigaeth â gorchudd di-dor a chadw rhywogaethau o goed allweddol, nid yn unig yn cynhyrchu pren da , ond gall fod o fudd i amrywiaeth o fywyd gwyllt gan gynnwys gwiwerod coch." Diolch i reolaeth sensitif o’r coed a chadw gwiwerod llwyd dan reolaeth, mae poblogaeth y wiwer goch ym Mrynarauduon wedi ehangu yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf.
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Huw Denman, forester and squirrel ecologist, gives a talk to a team from Glastir, the agri-environment Scheme run by the Welsh Government. Huw gave a guided tour of Bryn Arau Duon, a mixed forestry plantation near Cwrt Y Cadno. The afternoon was focused on woodland management for red squirrels; we hope that they will translate what they learnt into practice when it comes to giving advice to landowners in the Red Squirrel Focal site.
Huw has been managing this woodland for the benefit of red squirrels for over 15 years. Huw remarked: "Although the primary objective is timber production, I have demonstrated that sympathetic management techniques, such as continuous cover forestry and retention of key tree species, can not only produce good timber, but can be beneficial to a variety of wildlife including red squirrels." Thanks to sensitive management and grey squirrel control, Huw has seen the red squirrel population in Bryn Arau Duon expand in recent years.
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