CONCERNS about the way a community woodland was set up have been taken to the Welsh Assembly by Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies.

Mr Davies has been contacted by a number of residents worried about the Ffynone and Cilgwyn woodland near Boncath.

"I have heard from a number of people who are worried about the way public money was used by a co-operative to buy this woodland," said Mr Davies.

"There are concerns about the way it is now being cleared and about the lack of transparency surrounding the whole setting-up process."

The Growing Heart Workers Co-operative was awarded a £500,000 Cyd Coed grant to buy the wood two years ago. The Cyd Coed scheme used European Objective One money and is managed by the Forestry Commission. Farmer and craftsman Robert Hutton is surrounded by the woods.

"We feel as though war has been declared on us, they are clear felling enormous sections," he said.

"It is having a devastating effect on our local ecology. There was just one meeting about this and that was only open to residents who were contacted by letter."

Retiree David Drum, who also lives nearby, says the wood is being managed too intensively.

"They are putting in a network of five metre wide hardcore permanent tracks to get machinery in to extract the timber.

"The community needs to be closely involved and it isn't. Most schemes where public money is spent are open to review. They are claiming they did a public consultation but that was after the fact, they'd started the work."

Mr Davies told Welsh rural affairs minister Elin Jones there was concern about he way the scheme was being run.

"Constituents feel that the Forestry Commission has left the company responsible for managing the project without any local accountability.

"Indeed, there was some consultation at the beginning of the scheme but because it was not a public meeting, it was not a full consultation."

The Rural Affairs Minister said she would ask the Commission to look into the consultation process and report back.