A 2,000-acre area of the Wye Valley is part of a £1.3 million project to safeguard some of the country's most important native woodland spots.
The scheme is a partnership between a number of organisations, including the Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature, Forestry Commission and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The project was launched last week at the Forestry Commission Youth Campsite at the Biblins, near Symonds Yat.
Andrew Blake, Wye Valley AONB officer, said the organisations would work together to address the environmental, social and economic threats to the woodlands on the English-Welsh border.
"We want to ensure the long term ecological viability of the woodlands, so our work will include archaeological and ecological surveys, coppicing and thinning, the removal of non-native species and deer management," he said.
The Lower Wye Valley's high quality native woodlands, including ash woods, have been identified as some of the best examples of ravine woodlands remaining throughout Europe.
The scheme also involves the Peak District in Derbyshire and is being part-funded through the European Commission's Life-Nature programme.
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