Ancient Tree & Woodland Management

Ancient trees

The UK is thought to have Europe’s highest number of ancient trees, so a significant amount of effective management is needed to secure their lasting presence in the natural landscape.

I can provide extensive expertise in managing ancient trees. In addition, I work with a surprisingly broad range of key specialists to prepare management plans both for ancient/veteran trees and ancient woodlands.

What is an ancient tree?

It’s a tree that is past maturity and is old or aged compared to trees of the same species.

An ancient tree has:

• A low, fat, squat shape
• A wide trunk
• Hollowing (not always visible), often through root dieback

Management plans

A vast array of factors can affect ancient trees – from housing and infrastructure development and agricultural practices to vandalism, neglect and, by contrast, excessive intervention.

All of these must be considered when preparing management plans, but I follow five main principles to identify objectives, treatment and phasing of any interventions.

• Ensuring avoidable losses
• Safeguarding structural integrity, including managing safety risk
• Protecting the tree and the habitats it provides
• Managing the surrounding environment and vegetation
• Addressing contingencies for factors that might affect mortality (e.g. diseases, disorders, climate change, pollution, changing land use)

However, it’s vital to recognise that effective management is a long haul: some measures, such as crown retrenchment pruning, below, have to be taken over many years to mimic the tree’s natural processes and prevent any negative impact to its health.

Source: Neville Fay 2008, Treework Environmental Practice

Ancient woodlands

As you would expect, ancient woodlands are subject to similar threats as the ancient trees that they contain – with a few additions, including:

Isolation/fragmentation: woodlands are now islands amongst farmland. Since the 1930s more than 80% of ancient woodland has been felled and converted into plantations; a further 8% has been cleared for agriculture.

Loss of woodland industry: coppice management has been in decline since the early 20th century due to reduced demand for woodland products. This itself has caused a decrease in associated species including perennial flowers such as Anemone nemorosa.

Lack of statutory protection: around 85% of ancient woodlands have no legal protection and are under constant threat from development. There are also large loopholes in legislation that allow woodlands to be destroyed or damaged. Felling licences apply only to trees above 8 cm stem diameter and there are no controls over pruning.

Practical measures

When approaching a woodland with protected, rare and endangered flora and fauna species, I will draw from a menu of ‘standard’ recommendations such as those outlined below. Naturally, if the woodland contains particular herbaceous plants, lichen, invertebrates, birds, bats or mammals, and any that are on the Red List, I can provide special guidance.

‘Standard’ recommendations

• Retaining dead wood, including standing trees, fallen trunks, branches and stumps – particularly important to fungi and invertebrate species
• Restocking trees using natural regeneration
• Restricting public and livestock access
• Improving connectivity between woodlands through hedgerows, trees and shelter belts
• Controlling invasive species (e.g. Rhododendron ponticum) and grazing by deer, squirrels, cattle and other herbivores
• Creating a diverse woodland structure, horizontally and vertically
• Undertaking regular monitoring to identify problems and causes
• Create ecotone (transition area between two biological communities) through a scalloped woodland edge for greater length and semi-permeable to wind
• Reducing nitrogen levels to encourage wider species diversity
• Timing interventions and work to match phenological cycles (seasonal changes)
• Avoiding stress and disturbance – e.g. noise
• Phasing operations/interventions to avoid trauma and minimise impact
• Improving shrub layer to contain an abundance of essential nectar and pollen sources (e.g. hawthorn, bramble and tall herbs) for adult stages of saproxylic insects (those that feed on dead or decaying wood)
• Retaining ancient trees; preserving them for as long as possible
• Maintaining continuous canopy cover – prioritising selection and shelterwood methods of tree removal over clear felling
• Avoiding corners in woodland shape for fewer unsheltered areas
• Retaining and protecting water features
• Planting native species sourced locally

Green infrastructure

We’re talking about everything from street trees and trees in retail areas, to parks, green spaces and urban fringes. Here’s a definition from Natural England, 2009:

Green Infrastructure is a strategically planned and delivered network comprising the broadest range of high-quality green spaces and other environmental features. It should be designed and managed as a multifunctional resource capable of delivering those ecological services and quality of life benefits required by the communities it serves and needed to underpin sustainability. Its design and management should also respect and enhance the character and distinctiveness of an area with regard to habitats and landscape types.

Green Infrastructure includes established green spaces and new sites and should thread through and surround the built environment and connect the urban area to its wider rural hinterland. Consequently it needs to be delivered at all spatial scales from sub-regional to local neighbourhood levels, accommodating both accessible natural green spaces within local communities and often much larger sites in the urban fringe and wider countryside.