Ffermio Bro is a Welsh Government programme, launched in April 2025 to support farming projects that make improvements for nature and the environment across Wales’ National Landscapes and National Parks.
Each National Landscape has a specialist Ffermio Bro advisor to work with farmers and landowners, developing applications and supporting applicants though the process. National Landscape teams set local priorities for the scheme, awarding funding for activities that reflect local needs.
Llangwyfan Farm in Denbighshire, received Ffermio Bro funding to carry out a large-scale programme of woodland restoration and hedgerow revitalisation. Project aims were to improve habitat connectivity, tackle invasive species, and bring the farm’s ancient woodlands back into better ecological health.
Woodland restoration
The woodland work focused on restoring species balance within the farm’s ancient woodlands by removing diseased trees and thinning dominant species – particularly sycamore, rhododendron and cherry laurel – to allow native flora and fauna to thrive. Before any woodland management could begin, 1,200 metres of new fencing was installed to exclude livestock from the woodland areas entirely, a step the project team regarded as fundamental to the success of the whole scheme.
A further stage of the project will address issues with Himalayan Balsam along the Nant Fron Gelyn stream, which runs through and beyond the Coed Pen Llwyn woodland. This plant causes riverbank erosion, crowds out other species and is notoriously difficult to eradicate. Because Llangwyfan Farm lies near the head of the watercourse, successful control here should have wide-ranging benefits further downstream. This work is being funded through Ffermio Bro over the next two years.
240 metres of hedgerow was restored at Llangwyfan Farm
Hedgerow restoration and habitat connectivity
Alongside the woodland work, Ffermio Bro funding meant that 240 metres of hedgerow could be fully restored to create wildlife corridors linking the farm’s woodland areas. Hedgerow restoration had not been a priority at Llangwyfan Farm for several decades, and it was the technical advice and support offered through the Ffermio Bro scheme that encouraged the landowner, Julia Hughes, to apply for funding. Coppicing and gapping up of hedgerows in serious need of intervention formed a substantial part of the programme, and habitat connectivity was one of the primary reasons the project was selected for funding.
This is a multi-year project with the potential for wide-scale ecological benefits across the landscape. The key to its success was engaging with the landowner to discuss the project in its entirety from the outset, building a full commitment to seeing the work through.
We applied with proposed works for consideration and were delighted that some of our proposals were successful in being awarded project funding. The guidance of the Ffermio Bro team in providing us with detailed guidance, technical and practical advice both prior to and during the work was invaluable and an intrinsic part of the whole project.
Julia Hughes, Llangwyfan Farm
