newts in forestry

[Charlieh]

that pic is a smooth newt juv female if im not mistaken,

 

the ironic thing is that great crested newts are no more or less rare than the other species, but because they are rare in europe they suddenly have the same legal protection as bats!

 

crazy

[Log-ologist]

Thanks for the id. We get a lot of lizzards near here too and last year I found 7 stag beetles in the garden. I cant say where I live or I will never be allowed to get me veggie plot dug this year.

[Charlieh]

Thanks for the id. We get a lot of lizzards near here too and last year I found 7 stag beetles in the garden. I cant say where I live or I will never be allowed to get me veggie plot dug this year.

 

 

we have quite a few lesser stag beetles on the farm here, normally find them at in the old decaying ash trees, (with the chainsaw!)

 

thing that gets me is if these species are present, something is obviously right for them, changing or stoping the management might have detrimental effects, eg if you stop digging you veggie patch, it grows over, soil insects decrease, no newt food, newts clear off!

[Log-ologist]

I'm no brown ricer but I do garden using organic principals

[Charlieh]

I'm no brown ricer but I do garden using organic principals

 

beer traps for the slugs no doubt? probably why youve got newts! they're all pi$$ed on slugs:proud:

[wills-mill]

We (Sussex and Surrey Coppice Group) had a talk last week from the Forestry Commision's Woodland Officer for East Sussex on the new Habitat Regulations.

 

Any contractor who's been near the Comission in the South East has been sent notification that the regs are in place, but the talk really cleared things up.

 

Basically: There is a set of European Protected Species (EPS) which as has been said above are species that are rare on a Euro level but might be very numerous locally or in the UK.

 

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england-protectedspecies

 

On the list are: are all 17 bats species, otter, dormouse, Great Crested Newt, Sand Lizard, Smooth Snake.

 

On the web you can find the geographical distribution of the species. You can ignore the species if you're out of it's range. SO if you're away from dry heathy sites in the SE you can ignore smooth snake and sand lizard. If you're away from coppice woodland in the SE you can more or less forget dormice too.

 

There is a checklist to fill out:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eps-checklist-v3.pdf/$FILE/eps-checklist-v3.pdf

 

GOOD PRACTICE

If you are in a species range and you SUSPECT they are there (suitable habitats, evidence of activity etc), or there is a CONFIRMED colony then you can work to a set of Good Practice notes, which limit the amount, timing and methods of work around each critter.

 

LICENCING

If you need or want to do more than is laid out in the Good Practice notes, you MUST apply for a licence. In this you must give your reasons for needing to go beyond good practice, the species likely to be affected, the aims of the work, and the type, size and timing of the work.

 

This has come around as the previous habitat regulations only made it an offence to 'wilfull'y or 'knowingly' destroy or damage breeding, nesting arnd resting sites. NOW THAT HAS GONE.... You've got to look into it.

Our man from the FC reckoned that 90% of forestry and woodland work would not require a licence.

 

Sadly it's another whole site assessment that should be done at the beginning of a season of work...

[Charlieh]

Natural England have apparently currently put a blanket stop on all the work in the wood,

 

Hopefully having a meeting with them in the next few weeks, so will feed back then,

 

Just for some clarification i work for the wildlife trust on wetland and rivers (conservation and habitat improvement) and also a National parks authority (where i also sit on the wetlands species action group), and i really cant see the issue with the work,

 

ultimately this might come to the issue that always gets them moving.....that stoping this work has some serious financial implications, for the forestry, the sporting interest, and above all i feel that the newts will suffer, and people will want compensating!

[MattyF]

with my last employer we did a lot of big site clearance we had to work at a certain time of year if i remember and then winch out all felled stuff as no vehicles where allowed in certain areas once they were winched out material was stacked with a 360for the mulcher.

I found this all a stupid as some times the brush stacks would be left for weeks before a mulcher came on site ,then the winching of large trees across big areas probaly did more damage and could of killed more newts than if a mulcher had just gone in and flattened the site but thats what the man from the EA or council wanted the site worked.

[Log-ologist]

beer traps for the slugs no doubt? probably why youve got newts! they're all pi$ on slugs:proud:

 

 

that would be why we get pi88ed as newts round ere.

[Dagmar]

Obviously newts are worth a lot of money! I suggest that you become a newt relocation specialist and cash in!

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/15/newts115.xml