DUTCH woodland experts and been visiting their counterparts in Suffolk in a bid to pick up tips and share their experiences.

A team from the Royal Dutch Forestry Association (KNBV) has been at Dunwich and Thetford forests as part of a tour of the region.

The aim was to enable experts from both side of the North Sea to compare methods and experience.

The visitors looked at work the Forestry Commission has undertaken with the RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust at Dunwich to re-structure a pine plantation and create a mix of conifer and broad leaved woodland, open heathland and wet woodland.

At Thetford the group from the KNBV met members of Woodfuel East, a project hosted by the Forestry Commission and funded with European money that offers grants, advice and training to help the east of England make the most of its woodfuel resource.

Steve Scott, Forestry Commission area director in the east and east midlands, organised the visit and said both teams had a lot to learn from each other.

“I was lucky to visit the Netherlands a few years ago to look at their land management techniques, and this was a fantastic opportunity to repay their hospitality,” he said. “It’s surprising that although we are only separated by a narrow stretch of sea, our woodland management is very different.

“The exchange of views and techniques has been fascinating and invaluable.”

For more information about grants available for woodland management and creation visit www.forestry.gov.uk.