11/12/2022 0 Comments Coppice woodland management![]() A few trees such as our larger sycamores have been ring-barked, creating more standing deadwood of larger diameter. Decisions where further thinning was required has been made in year 2 and underway. We are retaining trees with good crown potential and ones that show great benefit to associated wildlife. We selected at least 2 in 5 trees to be thinned in year 1 & 2 and opening up other areas for regeneration. The many oaks in our woodland require space and light, they are thin, tall with small crowns. This includes a shrub layer, ensuring flowers and fruits are abundant. In our biodiversity improvement plan for our ancient but neglected oak coppice, this can prove impractical, so we have also planted some local provenance trees for the benefit of biodiversity. Our aim is to maintain and improve age diversity with the original community of trees by natural regeneration. Genetically many trees within an ancient woodland will be direct descendants of those in the original forest. We consider the following woodland communities within our own management plan… Tree Communities Ride, glade and watercourse management.Planting of native tree and shrub species.(although excess timber, post deadwood retention will be of benefit for crafts and shelter building), The management plan for our own woodland is not to sustain a timber supply, but for the sustainability of a species rich environment. They can also lack an understory & shrub layer or alternatively suffer from dense stands of holly, rhododendron or laurel offering little diversity. Woodlands can often consist of too many similar age trees and height and can subsequently become etiolated. However, a neglected woodland can decrease diversity after the canopy closes, becomes compact or one or few species of tree takes over and dominates the landscape. The flora of ancient woodland, particularly coppices tend to be richer than more recently planted woodland. Therefore woodland management should aim to sustain all species present and enhance the ability for indigenous species to thrive and regenerate. Over time our environment has lost species with limited mobility that have been unable to recolonise. Vast amounts of Cornwall’s landscape are arable and pastoral with woodlands often isolated. A woodland acts as a reserve for the whole landscape, linking a network of habitats. ![]()
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