Lowland wood-pasture - South Somerset
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Parkland, Wood Pastures & Veteran Trees

Lowland Wood Pasture & Parkland

 South Somerset Biodiversity Action Plan
Key factors
Glossary  

Extent/Distribution

Approximately 1300 hectares of wood-pasture and parkland occurs in South Somerset, making it a district or great importance in the South West region. Little of this area, however, is maintained in a wholly traditional manner.

County Wildlife sites (CWS) criteria have only recently been drawn up and agreed by the SERC management group for this habitat and these criteria will be applied in the near future. High priority sites include Bincombe Hill and Hazelgrove House Park. Bincombe Hill, near Crewkerne, is a site of regional importance for its invertebrate life. Hazelgrove contains many important trees, including the largest oak in Somerset.

Threats

  • Lack of information
  • Poor knowledge or lack of funds
  • Neglect of traditional management
  • The removal of dead wood
  • A lack of regeneration
  • Neglect leading to the development of secondary woodland
  • Tree death through water stress
  • Soil compaction
  • Loss of trees through disease
  • Agricultural Intensification
  • Vandalism

Action Plan Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1

Ensure that all sites in public and conservation ownership are secured through a sustainable management agreement, where possible with a sustainable grazing regime.


TARGET: 2003

OBJECTIVE 2

Raise awareness of the biological and historical importance of wood-pasture and parkland. Ensure the owners of all other County Wildlife Sites (CWS) receive appropriate advice by 2003, encouraging suitable grazing regimes where possible and the restoration of improved grassland.

TARGET: 2003

OBJECTIVE 3

Ensure at least 90% of other CWS are secured in sustainable management agreements.

TARGET: 2008

OBJECTIVE 4

Encourage the favourable management of degraded sites, including fragmented sites and isolated veteran trees

TARGET: ongoing

OBJECTIVE 5

Produce a coordinated inventory of all sites and their condition

TARGET: ongoing

Action Plan Targets

[ See Above ]

Current Action

No generic action see below

Proposed Action

Policy and legislation

Seek and amend felling license conditions for single very large trees on registered pasture and woodlands and explore the idea of identifying threshold size for felling trees. ACTION: FA

Modify and enhance Countryside Stewardship and Woodland Grant Schemes to enable and encourage the appropriate management of parklands and wood-pasture. ACTION: MAFF, FRCA, FA

Extend the Somerset Landscape Scheme to encourage pollarding and re-pollarding of parkland trees and tree planting restoration, ensuring the financial incentives are adequate. ACTION: SCC

Management

Ensure that development schemes do not affect the integrity or conservation of this resource. ACTION: SSDC, SCC, SWT


Restore the quality of wood pasture and parkland by ensuring long term recruitment. ACTION: SSDC, SWT, FA, CC, CLA, NFU



Encourage the maintenance of dead wood on sites and consider introducing dead wood on sites where necessary to avoid habitat discontinuity through time. ACTION: SSDC, SCC, NT, SWT, CLA, NFU, CC



Identify priority sites for management and restoration and seek to develop sites of excellence. ACTION: SERC, EN, WSLO, FWAG, NT, SCC, SSDC.

Where possible seek to restore the low nutrient status of improved grassland at parkland sites, forming links to restoration objectives of the neutral grassland action plan. ACTION:SSDC, SCC, FWAG, WSLO, MAFF

Accord Local Nature Reserve status on appropriate sites and consider a section 39 grant to ensure the favourable management of at least one site: ACTION SSDC


Provide advice on the management requirements of wood-pasture and parkland to landowners and managers and seek to ensure management plans are integrated.

ACTION: MAFF, FA, CLA, FWAG, WSLO, EN, SWT, NT, SSDC, VTF.

Encourage the favourable management of all veteran trees, since even isolated trees may be home to rare species.

ACTION: SWT, MAFF, FWAG, WSLO

 


Research and monitoring

Seek funding to complete and maintain an inventory of parkland sites and feed the information into the Veteran Trees Initiative.

ACTION: SERC.

Encourage invertebrate, lichen and fungi surveys on sites identified as likely to be of importance.

ACTION: SERC, EN, NT.



Education and awareness raising

Provide on-site interpretation on important public sites, explaining the conservation interest and rationale behind "untidy" management practices.

ACTION: SSDC, SCC, SWT, NT

Increase awareness of the importance and vulnerability of wood-pasture and parkland sites though the media, promotional literature and events.

ACTION: SSDC, SWT, EN, NFU, CLA


Progress

no information currently available

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