Extent/Distribution
On Exmoor, we still have a number of
very important parklands. Chief amongst these are Nettlecombe Park,
Dunster Deer Park and Pixton Park. Additionally, areas of wood-pasture
within upland oak woods such as those in Horner Woods and the Barle Valley
contain large numbers of important veteran trees and are dealt with in
this Plan. Currently, approximately 1000 veteran trees have been
recorded from such sites. Veteran trees in the wider countryside have
not been assessed, but they certainly constitute a significant part of
the total resource in the National Park.
Key sites:
Nettlecombe Park.
Pixton Park.
Dunster Deer Park.
Cloutsham Ball.
Threats
- Removal of old trees and dead wood for firewood and for “tidiness”
and removal of mature trees as a commercial crop before reaching overmaturity.
- Intensive agriculture such as heavy stocking, fertiliser and pesticide
use and ploughing, resulting in damage to veteran trees and their
associated wildlife.
- Planting up of veteran tree sites, resulting in overshading of the
trees and their associated wildlife.
- The absence of younger age-classes of trees to act as replacements
for existing veterans.
- Atmospheric pollution, which is known to have a deleterious effect
on lichen and fungal communities of veteran trees.
- Absence of nectar sources from veteran tree sites, which provide
essential feeding stations for many dead wood invertebrates.
- Public usage of some veteran tree sites, resulting in the removal
of dead wood and veteran trees on safety grounds.
- Invasion of veteran tree sites by rhododendron and laurel.
Action
Plan Objectives
OBJECTIVE 1
Complete inventory of the veteran tree resource.
TARGET: By 2002.
OBJECTIVE 2
Ensure protection of all important veteran tree
sites.
TARGET: By 2003.
OBJECTIVE 3
Initiate positive management on important veteran tree sites.
TARGET: By 2005.
OBJECTIVE 4
Ensure protection of veteran trees in the wider countryside.
TARGET: Half of trees identified by inventory by 2010.
OBJECTIVE 5
Increase public awareness and appreciation of veteran trees.
TARGET: Ongoing.
OBJECTIVE 6
Maintain and enhance populations of key species of conservation concern.
TARGET: Ongoing.
Action
Plan Targets
[ See Above ]
Current
Action
Nettlecombe Park is a SSSI part of which is in a management agreement
with EN and part is in Countryside Stewardship.
Horner Wood is a NNR which is owned by NT. Management to preserve existing
pollards and to encourage replacements is ongoing.
Dunster Deer Park is partly in a management agreement with ENPA and
the whole site is owned by the Crown Estate, who are sympathetic to
the conservation of the veteran trees and have cleared conifers from
around veteran trees to prevent overshading.
Wood pasture at Ashway Hat Wood is in the Barle Valley Woodlands SSSI,
and is in a management agreement with EN. 4.5 Re-pollarding, and the
creation of a new generation of pollards has been initiated at Hawkcombe
(North Exmoor SSSI) by ENPA.
Proposed
Action
Policy and legislation
{policy}
Management
{Management}
Research and monitoring
{Research}
Education and awareness
raising
{Education}
Progress
no information currently available
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