Natural Resources Wales wants local communities, visitors and businesses to say how they think Afan Forest should be felled and replanted over the next ten years. Comments close on 30 November.

NRW's draft Forest Resource Plan covers around 3,500 hectares along the Afan Valley, plus the smaller Mynydd Emroch block near Cwmafan, and replaces the plan approved in April 2015. It sets out which blocks are clearfelled and when, what is planted in their place, and where conifers give way to broadleaf woodland, heath and restored peat.

What it means for the trails

The draft says NRW will "maintain and where possible enhance the recreation provision in Afan", which it lists as 150km of mountain bike trails, four named walking trails, equestrian provision and three recreation hubs.

Forestry work has closed and diverted Afan trails before, so the maps are worth a look. The draft says NRW will adopt continuous cover forestry where conditions suit, and increase thinning. On NRW's management map, shown above, much of the forest around Cynonville, Pontrhydyfen and Penhydd is marked "Low Impact Silvicultural System" rather than for clearfelling. The blocks marked for clearfelling from 2027 to 2031 are spread across the forest, with clusters near Glyncorrwg, around Tyle Mawr, and east of Abergwynfi and Blaengwynfi. Glyncorrwg is the base for White's Level, Blade, Skyline and W2.

The maps do not show the trail routes, so they cannot tell you which trails cross which felling blocks. To find out, compare them with the Afan trail map, or ask NRW's planning team at the drop-in.

The rest of the plan

Beyond timber, the draft proposes bringing the heathland restoration site on the Foel into management, restoring ancient woodland and afforested peatland, increasing broadleaf cover, managing invasive species and making the nursery fishery in the Corrwg more resilient. It also says NRW will "support appropriate renewable energy development". The valley is still recovering from the larch clearance: NRW's 2015 plan recorded more than 650 hectares of larch felled in the four years before it, to slow the spread of the tree disease Phytophthora ramorum.

Andrew Hood, NRW's Senior Forest Planning Officer, said Afan Forest is "an important environmental and recreational asset for south Wales".

How to have your say

NRW is holding a drop-in session on Wednesday 11 November, 1pm to 7pm, in the Boardroom at the Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre, Cynonville, SA13 3HG, with the planning team there throughout. Questions can go to frp@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk.

For the trails themselves, see our Afan Forest trail guide.

Read the draft plan and maps, and respond to NRW's consultation by 30 November 2026.

Map: Scenario Management Coupes, from the draft Afan Forest Resource Plan, Natural Resources Wales, October 2026. © Crown copyright.