| Wood Pasture, Parkland & Veteran Trees - Gloucestershire |
|
||
| LBAP Home | Habitats | Common themes |
|
||
| Similar SW LBAPs | Regional Plan | UK National Plan | Link to LBAP |
| Parkland, Wood Pastures & Veteran Trees | Biodiversity Action Plan for Gloucestershire bap title |
|
  
|
||||
| Extent/Distribution Statistics on the actual extent of the habitat in Gloucestershire are generally not available. There are at least 150 historic parklands in the county and these usually average around 60 - 70 ha in extent, i.e. a total of 9750 ha. Site definition becomes a real problem with the Cotswold hill wood-pastures and the Severn Vale linear features. A working estimate of 6000 hectares of Cotswold hill pasture-woodland is suggested. Speech House Woodlands in the Forest of Dean have been identified as a key woodpasture site by Forest Enterprise. Other woodlands in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley also have woodpasture characteristics. These local ‘guestimates’ suggest that there may be a considerable amount of woodpasture in Gloucestershire and therefore bring the national estimate (of the UK Biodiversity Steering group) of 10 000 - 20 000 ha into serious question (although it is acknowledged that the UK figures will require revision as more information becomes available). Statistics on the actual extent of historical and current rates of loss or degradation are also not available. However, since woodpasture was the major habitat type of the ancient British Wildwood, losses have been considerable. Individual veteran pollards and maiden trees in hedgerows and open fields may be particularly vulnerable today. Cotswolds Natural Area - the Cotswolds are a major national area for woodpasture habitats, although this is not widely appreciated. The scarp and to a lesser extent the dipslope supports nationally important numbers of ancient pollards, mostly ash, both within permanent pastures and within field boundaries. Springs, streams and rivers often have willow and other pollards associated. There are additionally important individual sites such as Cirencester Park Woods and Chedworth Woods which have different historic origins and different characters. Then there are the historic parklands which are so widespread in the county. Also Barnsley Wold, a rather unusual woodpasture. Severn and Avon Vales Natural Area - Floodplains often have important concentrations of older generation open-grown trees, although these are most often parts of linear features particularly lining watercourses and hedgerows. They therefore stretch the definition of wood-pastures. Nonetheless the special nature conservation interests of these trees are virtually identical to those of true wood-pastures. Peculiarly, this Natural Area includes several Cotswold outliers with their typical Greater Cotswolds features of rough pastures with ancient ash pollards such as Churchdown Hill and Robinswood Hill. Historic parklands include Whitcliff Park. Forthampton Oaks is a very unusual form of woodpasture in ordinary farmland. Dean Plateau & Wye Valley Natural Area - the Royal Forest of Dean is one of the county’s key woodpasture areas: a detailed complex of enclosed plantations within a matrix of woodpasture. Although the steep slopes of the Wye Valley are predominantly ancient coppices there are sections with the characteristics of old woodpasture, notably at Cadora Wood. Highmeadow & Mailscot Woods, an area historically outside of the Royal Forest, has strong woodpasture characteristics in its invertebrate communities. Lydney Park is probably the single most important ancient woodpasture outside of the Forest of Dean. The extensive orchards of this area are undoubtedly of considerable importance for woodpasture communities, although this is as yet poorly appreciated and studied. Thames and Avon Vales Natural Area -The section of the Clay Vales is dominated by the country around the Cotswold Water Park and provides habitats essentially very similar to those described for the Severn Vale. Old pollards are widely distributed along watercourses and hedgerows and are a characteristic feature of the local landscape. Malvern Hills & Teme Valley Natural Area- The very southern end of the Malvern Hills extends into the county, Chase End Hill, and may include woodpasture habitats. Pasture management Loss of trees through physiological stresses such as: i) drought due to local land drainage, ii) loss of mycorrhizal fungi through use of inorganic fertilisers and probably also residual antibiotics in livestock dung, and iii) physical damage from livestock, farm machinery, and ploughing. Damage to trees and roots from soil compaction and erosion caused by trampling by livestock, often leading to pathogen problems. Pasture loss through conversion to arable and other land-uses. Pasture improvement through reseeding, deep ploughing, fertiliser and other chemical treatments, leading variously to tree root damage, damage to the mycorrhizal fungi and epiphytes. Inappropriate grazing levels: under-grazing leading to loss of habitat structure through bracken and scrub invasion; and overgrazing leading to bark-browsing, soil compaction, and excessive dunging and urination by livestock beneath canopy, often exacerbated by placing troughs and supplementary feeders by the trees for shade. Dung may contain residual deworming drugs, antibiotics, etc, that will kill soil organisms. Pollution derived locally from agrochemical application and nitrogen enrichment from pasture overstocking, causing damage to epiphyte communities and changes to soils. Removal of lower branches to enable farm machinery to pass under the canopy while spraying chemicals and spreading muck. Neglect of the trees individually and at landscape level Neglect and loss of expertise of traditional tree management techniques (e.g. pollarding) leading to trees collapsing when crown reduction could have saved them or being felled for safety reasons. Poor arboricultural methods which speed up the decay and death of trees. Poor restoration pollarding can lead to a massive physiological shock for veteran trees. Loss of trees through competition for resources with surrounding younger trees, usually following abandonment of grazing and often as a result of subsequent tree-planting. Skewed age structures produced by lack of younger generations of trees, leading to breaks in continuity of habitat and loss of dependent species. Lack of planting of new generations of pollards and planning for future veteran trees. Lack of awareness of the next generation of veteran trees from today’s mature trees. Lack of awareness of potential to re-create woodpasture habitats instead of commercial style plantations. Isolation and fragmentation of the remaining parklands and woodpasture sites in the landscape (poor powers of dispersal a characteristic of dependent species). Lack of awareness and understanding Lack of understanding/ recognition of woodpasture as a woodland management system by foresters, leading to lack of interest in recreating new woodpasture and, in the past, the intensification of commercial timber production on woodpasture sites. Poor understanding of life history and growth patterns of trees, particularly the role of fungi in tree health, natural death of limbs, and the natural retrenchment of canopy with age, leading to removal of veteran trees and wood decay through ill-conceived perceptions of tree health, condition and safety, both where sites have high amenity use and through misguided forest hygiene in woodlands. Poor methodology to assess risk to public from veteran trees leading to over-estimation of work to make trees safe. Over-zealous dead-wooding of trees. Lack of awareness of the biodiversity importance of woodpasture and its links back to the Wildwood and links through few generations of veteran trees. Removal of veteran trees and wood decay through ill-conceived perceptions of tidiness where sites have high amenity use, also through the supply of firewood or vandalism. Removal of fallen branches as firewood and inappropriate movement away to different locations and at the wrong time of year. Damage to trees and roots from soil compaction and erosion caused by trampling by people and car parking. Inappropriate planning of facilities and buildings among or adjacent to trees which will then lead to safety concerns. Changes to groundwater levels leading to water stress and tree death, resulting from abstraction, drainage, neighbouring development, roads, etc. Lack of shelter for fallen wood which could provide protection from drought, frost, livestock, etc; poor appreciation of the value of ground cover for livestock, of flowering shrubs for insect nectaring; the value of shelterbelts in helping to protect from spraydrift, air pollution, etc. Remote factors Changes to groundwater levels leading to water stress and tree death, resulting from abstraction, drainage, prolonged drought and climate change. Pollution derived from industry and traffic causing damage to epiphyte communities and changes to soils. Loss of trees through disease (e.g. Dutch elm disease, oak dieback), physiological stress such as drought, storm damage, etc. To gain a better understanding of the distribution and ecological status of woodpasture and parklands in Gloucestershire. To maintain the favourable condition of woodpasture and parkland sites for which we already have a sufficient understanding of their conservation requirements. To maintain the favourable condition of woodpasture and parkland sites for which we already have a sufficient understanding of their conservation requirements. { targets} {Current action} Policy and legislation [policy]Management
{management} Research and monitoring
{research} Education and awareness
raising
{education} {Progress} |
| Home page |