Looking good

[richyrich]

UK forests face catastrophic ecosystem collapse within 50 years, study says | Trees and forests | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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‘Alarming’ new research warns of risk to British woodlands from disease, extreme weather and...

 

[sime42]

Woodland birds at risk of extinction

WWW.OPENACCESSGOVERNMENT.ORG

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Woodland birds in the UK are experiencing a sharp decrease in their numbers, some species could face the threat of extinction

 

 

[richyrich]

It's surprising how deer are apportioned a large part of the blame for decline in woodland birds. I think with farming it's due to intensification and pesticides. 

 

[Stere]

 

 

 

 

 

Quote

Willow tits are birds that thrive in scrubby and often wet woodlands that have a lot of variety. Unfortunately, due to the decline in active woodland management over many years, along with burgeoning deer populations that browse out the lower vegetation, we are losing the scrubby under-storey that these birds need.

 

All the scrubby blackthorn willow sites etc that are in nature reserves I know of are being kept open or cleared for conservation reasons.

 

Also birch and oak regen some fairly large  cut to waste.

 

 

 

 

I think alot of the good woodland bird  habitat that has being lost was coppice such as hazel etc that is no longer cut/in roatation?

 

 

 

 

Maybe the farming subs cut will mean some marginal land will go back to scrub? In  some other EU countries huge areas of farmland have being abandoned.

 

 

Rewilding Abandoned Landscapes in Europe

LINK.SPRINGER.COM

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For millennia, mankind has shaped landscapes, particularly through agriculture. In Europe, the age-old interaction...

 

[daveatdave]

a lot of this rewilding is no good at all to most of the birds etc. as brambles take over and only rats live in there 

[Jackalope]

7 hours ago, daveatdave said:

a lot of this rewilding is no good at all to most of the birds etc. as brambles take over and only rats live in there 

A lot of the rewilding is no good because the only thing so called conservationists will kill are deer. They won't touch the corvids or ground predators like foxes or stoats so the breeding success of ground nesting birds is appallingly low. 

[sime42]

On 09/11/2023 at 10:09, Stere said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the scrubby blackthorn willow sites etc that are in nature reserves I know of are being kept open or cleared for conservation reasons.

 

Also birch and oak regen some fairly large  cut to waste.

 

 

 

 

I think alot of the good woodland bird  habitat that has being lost was coppice such as hazel etc that is no longer cut/in roatation?

 

 

 

 

Maybe the farming subs cut will mean some marginal land will go back to scrub? In  some other EU countries huge areas of farmland have being abandoned.

 

 

Rewilding Abandoned Landscapes in Europe

LINK.SPRINGER.COM

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For millennia, mankind has shaped landscapes, particularly through agriculture. In Europe, the age-old interaction...

 

 

In the case of Dormice at least, all three are factors; lack of woodland management, too many deer and climate change.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/10/hazel-dormice-becoming-endangered-in-uk-amid-70-percent-decline-study-says

 

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, sime42 said:

 

In the case of Dormice at least, all three are factors; lack of woodland management, too many deer and climate change.

not to mention grey squirrel out compete them for hazelnuts

[sime42]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

not to mention grey squirrel out compete them for hazelnuts

 

Very good point, I forgot those horrible little buggers. They must do as much if not more damage to woodland as deer. There really ought to be some kind of nationwide program to cull both animals and then use the meat. It would kill multiple birds with one stone. Tasty, healthy, humane, low carbon footprint etc etc.

 

 

[difflock]

13 hours ago, openspaceman said:

not to mention grey squirrel out compete them for hazelnuts

Needs wholesale reintroduction of the Pine Marten, which here in those bits of Ireland where they have been reintroduced, have allowed the populations of Reds to rebound, since the Pine Martens appear to find the Greys easier or better eating, which gives the Reds a chance.

Nature, huh.