A ‘MASSIVE’ project to fell beech trees at a Lake District forest is being carried out to provide a boost for other nature.

Red squirrels are among the creatures expected to benefit from the tree extraction project in the130-acre grounds of Skelwith Fold caravan park near Ambleside.

Described as a ‘full-on felling exercise’, the removal has been agreed in co-operation with the Forestry Commission because too many beeches are blighting the lives of woodland creatures.

Skelwith Fold director Henry Wild said the clear out was needed because the dense canopy of the beech tree cast a dark shadow on the forest floor and produced a dense carpet of fallen leaves and seed husks.

This prevented most other woodland plants from growing – many of them the type of species which could provide food and habitats for a wealth of wildlife.

Mr Wild said the extracted trees – some more than a century old – would be embarking on a new afterlife once they had been removed from the woodlands. The timber would be used for a wide range of practical purposes including planters, fencing, construction and the crafting of furniture using traditional carpentry skills.

Many of the tables, chairs and other items will find a new home in some of the recently renovated holiday properties on the park.

Mr Wild said he intended to find a good use for ‘virtually every last splinter’.

Smaller branches would be put to work in compost piles as habitats for beneficial insects, and the chippings used as mulch.

“It might seem a bit incongruous to go about felling trees as a way of giving nature a helping hand, but in this instance that’s exactly what the outcome will be,” he said.

“Once the beech trees have been removed, we should see the forest floor begin to bristle with many new plants including shrubs, wild flowers and hardwood saplings.

“It will give our bio-diversity a fantastic boost.”