An Idiot's guide to Ancient Woodland management

[Khriss]

Is there a Deadwood program component in yr management plan TVI ? It's often overlooked in wood land management.  But a good habitat source and cheap to implement.  K

[sandspider]

17 hours ago, the village idiot said:

This all changed (at least in areas 1 and 3) - see map above- under the stewardship of the next owner, a rather splendid but badly advised author named Hammond Innes.

 

Hammond Innes was a prolific adventure book writer. If you are as old as me you might remember his 'ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances' thriller novels. 

 

Ahh, that brings back memories. He wrote some very bleak but enjoyable books! Interesting thread, thanks.

 

[the village idiot]

7 hours ago, Khriss said:

Is there a Deadwood program component in yr management plan TVI ? It's often overlooked in wood land management.  But a good habitat source and cheap to implement.  K

Yes indeedy Khriss.

 

We have an extensive deadwood provision in our activities, to the point where we have been deemed wasteful more than once. 

 

I'll get onto this later on when I get into the practical management stuff. You can all decide for yourselves which side of the coin we fall on.

[the village idiot]

THE DEAL!

 

After viewing the Woodland and pondering for a few days, my initial approach to the owner was to take on the management of the 50 acres of neglected Hazel coppice (area 2 of the map on page 1). I felt that this was just about within my capabilities as I was somewhat familiar with this type of work.

 

The owner, in a thoroughly reckless act of faith, declared that he wanted me to take on the whole 200 acres.

 

I decided to go for it, and the negotiations began.

 

It took the best part of a year to get all the ducks in a line. There were four people involved. Myself, the owner, the estate manager and a woodland agent who was helping the estate out and who became an invaluable source of info and encouragement for me in the first couple of years.

 

It was agreed that I would take on the role of Woodland Manager. I would be able to sell any resource that my management activities created, and I would receive a 'retainer', which was basically any woodland grants that the work attracted (more on these later).

 

In effect this meant that the Woodland would get managed, I would be able to earn an income and there would be no net cost to the Estate. Things have changed a little since then, but I'll get to that.

 

My remit was pretty straightforward. I was required to meet three main objectives:

 

1. Return the Wood to as close as Ancient Woodland species as possible.

 

2. To protect and enhance the important wildlife habitats.

 

3. To create a sustainable and sustaining Woodland ecology. (the ecology element very much including the person or persons working or running activities within the Wood.)

 

The first step was to create a Woodland management plan. This is a very important part of the process and deserves a post of it's own.

Edited November 25, 2019 by the village idiot
sheer bloodymindedness

[the village idiot]

MANAGEMENT PLAN.

 

During the year it took to get everything set up with the Woodland owner and his minions I was making frequent visits to the Wood, trying to get a feel for the place and finding my way around. (It is a big place, and after 6 years I still get lost from time to time!)

 

It is important to really get to know a place before you start tinkering with it.

 

The first major duty was paperwork. We needed a management plan, and with help from the Woodland agent we started to put one together. The Forestry Commission provides a very helpful template to ease the pain.

 

A management plan is essential if you are intending to take on work in a large area of Woodland of any type. It is basically a reasonably detailed 10 year plan of action that is submitted to the Forestry Commission for approval.

The management plan not only gives you a work program to follow (keeping you focussed), it is also your gateway to any Woodland management grants that are available at the time, as well as providing the necessary documentation for felling licences.

 

At the time (2013) there were grants available for completing the management plan itself and multi-annual payments for specified management works carried out. These fell under the umbrella of EWGS (English Woodland Grant Scheme). It was possible to claim grants for Woodland improvement works such as coppicing, ride widening and maintenance, silvacultural thinning, deer management and many other things.

 

The Woodland management plan for this Wood took quite a while to put together. Mainly because I had not done one before, but also because the Woodland was quite complex. There were still large areas of conifer to come out, there was hazel coppice to get back into rotation, there were a multitude of ponds to resurrect and the labyrinthine ride network had all but disappeared and needed reinstating.

 

With the help of the Woodland agent, and in true A-Team style, the plan came together. I had a ten year prescription of action and was psychologically ready to get hopelessly out of my depth!

[Stubby]

There is an ancient woodland near me not far from Havant in Hampshire . I have walked it with my dog and studied the work going on . It is , I think a work in progress that has been neglected over the years . No conifer or pop plantations just neglect . They ( the people working it ) are bringing it back to a " working wood " as was . > I love your thread , keep it coming . Oh and Alan Warters is still making charcoal with his original Exeter  !   

Edited November 25, 2019 by Stubby

[eggsarascal]

Possibly the best thread ever, and still in its early stages. Nice one TVI.

[the village idiot]

11 minutes ago, Stubby said:

There is an ancient woodland near me not far from Havant in Hampshire . I have walked it with my dog and studied the work going on . It is , I think a work in progress that has been neglected over the years . No conifer or pop plantations just neglect . They ( the people working it ) are bringing it back to a " working wood " as was . > I love your thread , keep it coming . Oh and Alan Warters is still making charcoal with his original Exeter  !   

Great stuff Stubby,

 

Could you take a few pictures next time you are there?

 

Charcoal production will get a few posts later in the thread. Last time I checked though Alan was a 'Walters', unless he has developed a nasty skin condition?

[the village idiot]

4 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

Possibly the best thread ever, and still in its early stages. Nice one TVI.

Steady on Eggs!

 

But thank you.?

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

Possibly the best thread ever, and still in its early stages. Nice one TVI.

Whole  heatedly agree   ?