why manage woodland

Our talk in June was by Chris Westcott. Chris, her husband, son and volunteers own and manage Three Copse Woodland, known locally as “Little Hyden Woods”, in Clanfield. At 64 acres it is small by forestry terms but more than large enough to keep them supplied with timber to make their own products.

Their talk covered a large range of topics including what makes a woodland, sustainable management of habitats, history of wild wood, archaeology and ecology of woodlands, the flora and fauna and field layer of soil, ancient woodland markers, all in all giving us a thorough understanding of the intricacies and hard work behind managing a woodland.

Chris clarified that a woodland is where trees grow, where as a “forest” is primarily for hunting and many “forests” were unwooded!

There are two theories of how woodlands originated in the UK. The “Tansley Model” came out in 1938 and suggested woodlands covered the entire area after the ice age, some 12,000 years ago, but in 2000 the Vera Model suggested that there was savannah with  clumps of woodland in between. No one really knows which is correct, but it is likely it was more like the New Forest is today, a mixture of open space and trees. In Neolithic times woodlands began to be cleared and woodlands began to be “managed” with products such as hazel coppicing for firewood. Actual plantation forestry didn’t begin until the 17^th century, really taking off in the 19^th century.

We now have Primary woodland- which has been woodland since the ice age, and Secondary woodland, which has been cleared at some time. Within the Secondary woodland you can find “lynchets” or Downs and steep shallows, due to ploughing. There are also Barrows or burial mounds on top of hills mostly for important people and as a statement to show “this is our land”.

Methods of Woodland Management include; cutting trees for timber. Also, by “coppicing” - cutting back a tree or shrub to ground level to stimulate growth. This is normally done on a 10 to 20 year rotation and mainly used for charcoal production. Or “pollarding” - pruning the upper branches of a tree, which is frequently found in wood pastures or common land where commoners had a right to cut the tops of trees for their needs. And High Forest System, where trees grow from seeds and are allowed to reach their full height. In Plantations trees are planted in straight lines for ease of cutting.

Chris then went on to mention the Ecology and structure of Woodland, beginning with the canopy, or tops, then the sub canopy including bushes, hazel and young trees, moving down to the field plant layer with brambles and raspberries, as examples and finally the ground layer with earth, fungi, insects which use everything coming from the top canopy to turn into produce, nutrients and food.

Next we turned to the Flora and Fauna; Starting with Trees;

Ash - when cut down, buds form under the bark and form rods giving a ring of trees where the middle has rotted out, the larger the ring the older the tree.

Hazel – Shoots from the ground and can get very large. Used to make hurdles, besom handles, charcoal.

Oak – Useful for shipbuilding and house building. Jays help it to regenerate but ideally it needs space and air as it is susceptible to mildew.

Beech – Prefers pollarding to coppicing. Food for furniture, charcoal and firewood

Field Maple – an indicator of ancient woodland. Used for spoons and woodturning

Other species: Holly, Ivy, Yew, Dogwood, Spindle etc. All have their uses including food for animals.  Sycamore is a problem, don’t allow it to seed!

Other plants: Woodland indicator species such as wood anemones, bluebells, muscatel.

Different habitats were looked at:

Dark areas – where wild garlic grew, lighter areas where primroses, violets and foxgloves could be found and which can hold a seedbank many years awaiting the right light conditions. Different types of orchids were mentioned including tway blade, birds nest, brown toothwort, which is curved and looks like a set of teeth and is a parasite on Ash and Elm.

We then moved on to the different Fauna:

Deer and other mammals, door mice, badgers, foxes, stouts, wood mice, rats and voles.

Birds including tawny owls, greater spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, tits, thrushes, blackbirds.

Reptiles and amphibians and lizards.

Butterflies including the common blue, red and white admirals, purple emeralds which feed on carrion, and many others.

Bumblebees, hornets, wasps, ticks, mosquitoes and flies.

Chris then used all of the above information to give an illustration of her and her families woodland, Little Hyden Wood. Why manage a Woodland? To keep it tidy and allow it to grow and prosper whilst being able to reap all of its uses.

The history and archaeology of Little Hyden Wood dates back to the bronze age when the woods were dug up and turned into fields, this can be seen in a series of banks, wood banks show where trees were in a ditch dividing part of the woods. In 1840 the land was “untithed” owned by the church and someone else. On old maps red lines show the boundaries between Clanfield and East Meon. In Saxon times there were fields alongside woodland which was coppiced or left as High Forest. There are over 170 different plant species found in the woodlands.

In conclusion the woodland is managed by Plantation, thinning and opening of the canopy opening glades. Selection for cutting most common trees, and restoration of some of the coppiced wood over a 10 year rotation period.

The main problem issues Chris has found in managing their Woodland is that of fly tipping and the “Right to Roam” issue, as access to some of the land must be restricted for safety reasons as it is a working woodland and arable fields. The future is uncertain as the rural worker has become an ethnic minority. It is more than a “job” it’s a way of life. Charcoal can take up to 14 hours of work. The Woodland owner is but a Steward of the land.

You can find more information on their website: www.threecopse.co.uk. Chris asked us all to support our local coppice by purchasing the products made thereof. Chris and her family have owned and managed the woodland for 22 years and live only 3 miles away, so if the weather is right, they will be busy managing their woodland!

A big thank you to Chris and her family for a very insightful and eye-opening look at what is involved in managing a Woodland!

Katrien Burrows