New guidance on Ash dieback in SSSI woodland

Natural England has released new guidance on Ash dieback.  

The guidance is specifically designed for SSSI woodland (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and focuses on a set of commonly asked questions:

• Will all my ash trees die? 
• Should diseased trees be felled? 
• Should I fell healthy trees now? 
• How can I manage the structure of my wood? 
• Should ash coppice or pollards be cut? 
• How will the designated features be affected? 
• How should replacement trees be established? 
• What replacement species can be used? 
• What should I do about sycamore? 
• Will my wood be classed as “unfavourable”?

Over half of the woodland and wood-pasture SSSIs in England contain significant amounts of ash. As nationally important areas for the conservation of biological diversity, it is vital that the impact of ash dieback disease on the SSSI ‘features of interest’ is managed to reduce negative effects where this is possible. 

Whilst various suggestions are made in the guidance Natural England points out that there is only limited experience of implementing many of these in the UK ash dieback scenario. Therefore there is a need to trial different management strategies, monitor their effectiveness, and continue to share practical experience.

It is also very important that this guidance, and the of the Forestry Commission, is tailored to the specific conditions on each site, including: 

• the current proportion of ash and other trees and shrubs present
• the woodland structure
• existing issues and challenges acting on the wood
• its context in the surrounding landscape
• the SSSI features of interest
• the owner’s objectives
• public access and safety

The advice has been summarised in the table below.  The full document can be downloaded here.

Hazel Coppice - restoration and improvement Seminar

The National Coppice Federation (NCFed) in conjunction with the Forestry Commission (FC) present:

Hazel Coppice - restoration and improvement Seminar

Wednesday and Thursday, May 13th/14th, 2015

at Westonbirt Arboretum (Gloucestershire)

Coppicing has been in decline for much of the past two hundred years. In more recent times, though, there have been attempts to increase the amount of hazel in regular management. 

These may have been inspired by a desire to earn a living from the woods, by wildlife conservation imperatives or by various other reasons.

10 year old hazel coppice (picture courtesy of Hazel Coppice Products

In many cases they have struggled, or even failed, due to the current lack of available information and knowledge of this new discipline.

This Seminar will bring leading restoration practitioners from around the country together with experts in various relevant fields to help establish ‘best-practice’ guidelines. 

It will also draw on the depth of experience which will, undoubtedly, be present in the wider audience.

The venue is Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, where some twenty five acres of hazel coppice have been brought in to various stages of rotation over the past twenty years. 

These will provide working examples of both good and bad restoration practice.

Confirmed contributors to date include:

• Penny Jones (FC), Head of Propagation at Westonbirt Arboretum
• Brian Williamson, lead coppicer at the Arboretum
• Ralph Harmer (FC), co-author ‘The Silviculture and Management of Coppice Woodlands’
• Rebecca Oaks, NCFed Chair and co-author of ‘Coppicing and Coppice Crafts’
• Graham Rimington, The Deer Initiative.

Cost will be £35 for members of NCFed affiliated Groups; £50 for non-members.

Further information can be found on www.ncfed.org  or (with booking details) from  Brian Williamson at westonbirt.coppice@virginmedia.com 

‘A wood that pays is a wood that stays in good heart.’

National Coppice Federation - Issue 2 of newsletter

The second issue of The Cleft Stick, the newsletter of the National Coppice Federation or NCFED, is now available.

The newsletter provides an interesting and useful update of topics relating to coppice management.  

NCFED was only launched on October last year and it seems like this newsletter is one of the first bits of communication from this newly formed group.  The NCFED website is still taking shape and we assume that more information will begin to flow as 2014 progresses.

The newsletter includes a useful round up of events.  Of interest to those in the south east are the following:

• Feb 1st (Saturday). Coppice Tool Bring-and-Buy Sale, nr Tunbridge Wells, Kent. See newsletter for more details.

• Feb 25th, 26th and 27th. Three one-day deer management courses at Plumpton College, east Sussex. More info at Plumpton College website.

We have uploaded to the latest issue to help those not currently on the circulation list gain access to it.  Click the following link: The Cleft Stick - NCFED Issue 2.

If you would like to be added to the circulation list for The Cleft Stick please email brian.hurdles@virgin.net

Job opportunity at KWES

The Kent Woodland Employment Scheme (KWES) is looking for an experienced project leader to manage the day-to-day activities of the charity.  

KWES is a new charity set up to provide training and employment for ex-Service personnel, young people and ex-offenders in Kent’s ancient woodlands.  

KWES will work closely with landowners and environmental organisations like the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Kent Wildlife Trust and the Kent Agricultural Society to regenerate under-managed woodlands with the help of people trained by KWES. At the end of their three year training period our trainees will have obtained the qualifications needed to work in woodland management in Kent or elsewhere in the UK. 

Details on the position are below - please send all enquiries to KWES and not this blog.

Woodfuel Pathfinder featured on BBC Countryfile

In case you missed the most recent episode of the Countryfile, and the feature on coppice management and woodfuel, you can see it here on the BCC iPlayer: Countryfile March 11th 2012.

The venue was Torry Hill Fencing, a business that clearly demonstrates how good woodland management can yield a range of benefits.

It was also pleasing to see that the only waste product from the process, the bark that is removed from the chestnut lengths before they are split for pailings, can be used as goat feed (which was a somewhat unexpected by-product from a morning's filming with Matt Baker)!