A major project is underway to revise the ancient woodland inventories for England, taking them down to patches of 0.25 ha, improving the evidence base and the precision of the mapping. We will soon have a much better estimate of how much ancient woodland there is and where it is. However we know already that… Continue reading Improving ancient woodland condition
Tag: biodiversity
The Knepp Estate revisited
In 2003 an unusual note appeared on my desk from English Nature’s office in Lewes (Sussex) about a local local landowner who wanted to let his farm run wild. It sounded interesting but it was not clear what the biodiversity benefits would be, how it could fit with the English Nature’s priorities for improving the… Continue reading The Knepp Estate revisited
Is yours a ‘normal’ forest?
Production foresters developed a concept termed the ‘normal forest’ which is simply one in which all age classes for a give rotation length are equally represented by area. So, in theory you could harvest the same extent of woodland each year in perpetuity, as long as it is immediately restocked: i.e if the rotation is… Continue reading Is yours a ‘normal’ forest?
Woodman good, Forester bad?
In folk tales and songs the woodman is generally a good character: he saves Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf. Foresters are a more dubious lot who deserve what they get: in one of the Robin Hood ballads, a group of foresters make fun of the hero and are subsequently slain out of hand;… Continue reading Woodman good, Forester bad?
What should we do with our land?
Defra has launched a consultation on a land-use framework for England. This framework should provide the context within which discussions on land-use changes, whether on where to put new forestry plantations or where to put new solar panels. While people may agree with these changes in principle there are frequently objections over individual proposals. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/land-use-in-england… Continue reading What should we do with our land?
Non-native plants in woodland ground flora in the future
The snowdrops are coming into bloom in the woods on the top of Wytham Hill; soon there will be the (garden variety) daffodils and even a plant or two of star-of-Bethlehem: all non-natives, but I will enjoy their beauty none-the-less. They are part of the story of the Woods, mostly probably planted in the 1920s.… Continue reading Non-native plants in woodland ground flora in the future
Sound thinking, but uncertain comparisons
At the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in Liverpool (2024) there was a soundscape of tropical birds and mammals running in the lecture halls in the run-ups to the start of the talks. Back home I encountered something similar recently when I walked on to Port Meadow. It was still dark but there was a… Continue reading Sound thinking, but uncertain comparisons
Forty years ago, a different climate
The past is a foreign country – we really did do things differently then; there were no mobile phones for a start. During much of the twentieth century there was massive planting of trees on peat and other soils with high organic matter, but prior to the 1960s there was not much concern about this… Continue reading Forty years ago, a different climate
The Old Man of Wytham 