The result of generations of careful woodland management is a complex mosaic of tree species and crop ages. This significantly increases the diversity of the Estates' plantations, producing a rich mixture of both conifers, such as Douglas fir and native broadleaves. Conifers account for 75% of our woodland area. It takes 45 years to grow a crop of timber from Larch and Sitka spruce and 60 - 80 years from Scots pine and Douglas fir. The remaining 25% is made up of broadleaved mixtures principally of Oak, Beech and Sweet chestnut. These crops take between 100 and 250 years to reach maturity and add significantly to the wildlife value of the woodlands. As with farming, woodland work has a seasonal pattern and with such diverse woodlands there is always work going on somewhere in the forest. Planting and establishment work is undertaken during the winter with maintenance operations carried out in the summer. Timber harvesting is a year round activity with saleable wood produced from regular plantation thinning as well as final felling operations. The Estate woodlands are truly multi-purpose delivering economic, recreational, landscape and wildlife benefits as well as being a source of sustainable timber. The balancing of these outputs, now and into the future, is the day-to-day work of the Estates' Woodland Management Team.