Herefordshire HER / Archaeology Service were commissioned by the Forestry Commission to deliver a comprehensive survey of the low sensitivity areas in Herefordshire. The project was delivered over 15 months across two financial years: 2023-24 and 2024-25. The two reports (year 1 and final) define the work undertaken and the methodologies applied in achieving the results. The final report reflects on the success of the project highlighting the core achievements against the original brief. A series of case studies illustrate the value of the project to the archaeology of the county. Herefordshire Historic Environment Record (HER)/Archaeology Service successfully completed Project K commissioned by the Forestry Commission. This ground-breaking initiative involved comprehensive review and enhancement of archaeological data within Forestry Commission designated Low Sensitivity Areas and their surroundings, creating a robust framework for informed land management decisions supporting both heritage protection and environmental goals. The project was undertaken in 117 days (847 hours) and examined 43,300 hectares (20% of Herefordshire's landmass), rigorously applying enhanced assessment methodologies to create a comprehensive understanding of the county's archaeological landscape. This work offers significant potential for sustainable heritage management while supporting the Forestry Commission's targeted tree planting initiatives through improved archaeological risk assessment. Key Achievements " Archaeological Discoveries: Identified numerous previously unrecorded monuments including a newly discovered Iron Age hillfort, prehistoric cross-dykes, Bronze Age barrows, and Romano-British enclosures - elevating the understanding of Herefordshire's archaeological landscape " Enhanced Coverage: The project reviewed 6,767 Monument records updating 467 existing records (10% of Study Area inventory), while creating 270 new Monument records (representing a 6% increase in evidence base). " Significant SHINE Expansion: Increased Select Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE) record coverage by 93%, adding 429 new designations while standardising all existing 457 records for improved consistency and management effectiveness " Methodological Advancement: Established integrated use of LiDAR data with historic records, establishing new best practices for archaeological prospection and assessment that revealed landscape features previously undetected " National Benchmarking: The systematic and consistent approach used established a review and creation process of 120 HER Monuments per day and 40 SHINE records per day. " Environmental Integration: Aligned archaeological protection with nature recovery objectives by implementing Lawton principles ("bigger, better, more joined up"), creating coherent corridors that serve both heritage and environmental goals " Risk Mitigation: Identified concerning patterns of unmonitored archaeological loss, particularly affecting medieval landscape features and historic farming buildings and structures, enabling proactive protection measures. " Data Standardisation: Developed consistent templates and evaluation parameters for SHINE records, enhancing data reliability and accessibility for non-specialist stakeholders.
Hoverd et al. (Mon,) studied this question.