New Native Woodlands

WHAT ARE NEW NATIVE WOODLANDS?
WHY PLANT NEW NATIVE WOODLANDS?

WOODLAND DESIGN

Location
Design at the landscape scale
Using natural colonization
Species choice for planting
Planting patterns
Get to know your site

PLANTING TECHNIQUES

Weed control
Table1 The Main Native Woodland Types in Lancashire
Zones for New Native Woodland
Table 2 Species to be Planted in New Native Woodland Schemes in Lancashire
Sources of Advice and Grant Aid

Contact Details

Further Information and Publications

WHAT ARE NEW NATIVE WOODLANDS?

Native woodlands consist of species which have naturally colonized Lancashire since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago.

Those native woodlands which are believed to have existed prior to 1600 are termed ancient semi-natural.All ancient semi-natural woods in the county have been managed in the past and may now contain a number of introduced species such as beech and sycamore.

Woodlands which have arisen since 1600 are termed secondary. They may either be planted or have developed naturally.Such woodlands usually contain species that are not native to the county.

The aim of this note is to provide guidance on the creation of woodland using species native to Lancashire and appropriate to a site.These are called new native woodlands.

WHY PLANT NEW NATIVE WOODLANDS?

The establishment of new native woodlands has a number of environmental benefits. They may:

• be good for wildlife;
• be more diverse than traditional forestry plantations;
• increase landscape appeal;
• offer multiple land use: income generation with nature conservation;
• reduce erosion;
• enlarge and link existing woodlands;
• improve air quality;
• provide shelter for stock;
• be valuable sporting assets.

Some of these benefits may be shared by other types of new woodland.

WOODLAND DESIGN

When a new native woodland is planned, thought must be given to a number of aspects of design including:

• location;
• design at the landscape scale;
• use of natural colonization;
• species choice for planting;
• planting patterns.

Location
Sites must be located with the requirements of future management in mind. This is particularly important if commercial management is an aim. Site conditions will have a major influence on woodland design.

Design at the landscape scale
New native woodlands must be sensitively sited.They should ideally be located so as to link or extend existing important habitats, such as ancient woodlands, or adjacent to watercourses.This will facilitate their colonization by desirable species of plants and animals over time.

It may be inappropriate to plant on sites which have existing high conservation value such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, County Heritage Sites or important archaeological sites.

New planting should complement the existing landscape of the area. It should take account of the landform and the existing pattern, size and shape of local woodlands. Open areas within the wood and the use of variable tree spacing may also help to enhance or minimize any landscape impact.

This approach is being developed in the County as the Lancashire Biodiversity Network.This should help to identify and prioritise woodland creation sites to maximise environmental benefits.

Using natural colonization
In theory natural colonization of unwooded sites is preferable to planting for the creation of new native woodlands. It should result in a more natural matching of trees and shrubs to the local conditions.The resulting woodland should have a more diverse structure and natural appearance. Natural colonization has the added benefit that it is more likely to conserve local genetic distinctiveness and diversity than planting. It may also cost less.

However, there are many instances where natural colonization may not be considered the appropriate mechanism: for example, the desirable seed species may not be locally present, site conditions may be unfavorable for tree seed germination or timescale may be insufficient to achieve a rate of regeneration adequate to qualify for grant aid.

By leaving open space in a planting scheme the woodland habitat and structural diversity can be enhanced and the opportunity for natural regeneration remains.

The use of natural colonization does not preclude the need for management. Patch scarification, tree protection and weed suppression may be required, as may the control of undesirable regenerating tree species and browsing animals may need to be controlled.

Species choice for planting
When planting is considered appropriate, care should be taken to select the appropriate species for the site conditions.Suitable species for use in Lancashire are shown in Table 2. Rare woodland types and species have been excluded from this table.

The species included are based on local knowledge of the semi-natural woodlands of Lancashire. The woodland types described and their relationship to site factors has been derived from the results of the National Vegetation Classification, a national programme to classify the vegetation types of Britain.

It is highly desirable to use trees and shrubs of local provenance (planting stock derived from the original Lancashire population of a species) when planting new native woodland. Such material is becoming more widely available from commercial sources. It can be appropriate to use locally gathered seed and cuttings but this will have a significant impact on the character of the trees. This may be an important consideration if commercial forestry is a high priority.

Planting patterns
Semi-natural woodlands can show a great variety of structure and species composition even within a single woodland type. This variety arises through a combination of natural site factors and management history.

The planning and planting of new native woodlands should reflect this variety but should be based upon actual site conditions. The initial planting will have a profound effect on the final appearance of the woodland.

Planting intimate mixtures of species (as opposed to groups of a single species) will almost certainly result in the faster growing pioneer species out competing the ultimately desired species.It should therefore generally be resisted.

Some species will not establish well in a new woodland due to exposure and other factors. These species tend naturally to colonize more mature woodlands.They may colonize a new native woodland or they could be planted at a later stage.

Get to know your site
When developing proposals for a new native woodland scheme it is important to establish a sound knowledge of the site. Existing site conditions, such as altitude soil and geology, will determine what is appropriate. The existing vegetation will often provide a useful insight into site conditions. Are there any factors which constrain the establishment of woodland? These may include existing features of nature conservation or archaeological value.What types of woodland would naturally occur? Is natural regeneration, planting or a combination of both appropriate?

PLANTING TECHNIQUES

Weed Control
It is important that competition is controlled for the first two seasons following planting to ensure the best possible chance of survival.There are a two basic ways of achieving this: physical or chemical. Great care should be exercised if the chemical approach is chosen and herbicides are to be used.

As a general principal, the choice and application of herbicides should be as specific as possible. In establishing new native woodland it is frequently desirable to retain those herbs which are already present and form a natural component of the woodland herb layer. Particular caution should be exercised on wetland sites or adjacent to water courses. Expert advice is available.

TABLE 1. THE MAIN NATIVE WOODLAND TYPES IN LANCASHIRE

Zone	NVC Code	Woodland Types	Appropriate Situation
L O W L A N D	W6	Riverside Alderwood	Seasonally waterlogged sites, often by lowland watercourses
	W8	Lowland Mixed Broadleaved Woodland	Well-drained, base-rich, lowland sites on limestone and boulder clay
	W10	Lowland Oakwood	Neutral or rather acid soils on the plain and lower valley slopes of the upland fringe. The most common type of native woodland in Lancashire
U F P R L I A N N G D E	W7	Ash-Alder Woodland	Damp valley slopes with groundwater seepages and along streamsides
	W9	Upland Mixed Broadleaved Woodland	Well-drained base-rich upland fringe sites (sometimes over limestone)
U P L A N D	W11	Upland Oakwood	Neutral or rather acid soils on the larger valley sides and lower hills
	W16/17	Upland Oak-Birch Woodland	Upland clough or gill sites on strongly acid soils

Location of New Native Woodland Zones in Lancashire:

ZONES FOR NEW NATIVE WOODLAND

The map indicates where it may be appropriate to plant upland or lowland woodland types. It is for guidance only, further guidance is contained within the Indicative Forestry Strategy. Advice can also be obtained from the organizations below.

TABLE 2. SPECIES RECOMMENDED FOR PLANTING IN NEW NATIVE WOODLAND SCHEMES IN LANCASHIRE

TREES	NATIVE WOODLAND TYPES
	Lowland			Upland Fringe			Upland
	W6	W8	W10	W7	W9	W10	W11	W16	W17
Alder	+			+	O
Ash	O	+	O	+	+	O
Aspen		O	O
Downy Birch	O			O	+	+	+	+	+
Silver Birch		O	+
Bird Cherry				O	O
Wild Cherry		O	O
Holly		O	O	O	O	O	O
Pedunculate Oak	O		+
Sessile Oak		+			O	+	+	+	+
Rowan		O	O	O	+	O	O	O	O
Goat Willow	O	O		O
Crack Willow	+
SHRUBS
Blackthorn		O	O	O		O
Guelder Rose		O	O	O		O
Hawthorn		+	+	+	O	+	+
Hazel		+	+	+	+	+	+
Grey Willow	+	O		+	O

• There is currently some concern over the spread of Phytophthera disease in alder. There may be circumstances where it is inappropriate to plant this species.
• Plus signs (+) are major components; open circles (O) minor components in a planting mix.
• Woodland-type codes refer to the National Vegetation Classification.Note that W10 occurs in both lowland and upland fringe situations. For further information see Creating New Native Woodlands by John Rodwell and Gordon Patterson (Forestry Commission Bulletin 112).
• This table is for general guidance only; variations in the way the species listed are combined may be appropriate to suit individual site conditions.
• Other native tree or shrub species may also be appropriate on certain sites, but expert advice should be obtained before using them. Other species may be appropriate on very difficult or unusual sites.
• Expert advice is also recommended on the relative proportions of the species shown to suit individual sites.
• When planting trees adjacent to rivers consent may be required from the Environment Agency or local authority. This ensures that access for flood defence operations can be maintained.

 

SOURCES OF ADVICE AND GRANT AID

The table below identifies some of the areas where further advice may be appropriate and indicates the organizations which are able to provide it (+). Basic advice and assistance will, in many cases, be provided free of charge.

Sources of Advice and Grant Aid

TOPIC	ORGANIZATION
	English Nature	Environment Agency	Forestry Commission	Lancashire County Council
Location
Areas to Target<	+			+
Existing Important Sites	+			+
Design at the Landscape Scale
Landscape Issues				+
Using Natural Recolonization
Site Suitability			+	+
Species Choice for Planting
Species Choice and Mix			+	+
Sources for Local Provenance Transplants
Phytophthora Disease		+	+
Planting Patterns
Suitable Woodland Types	+		+	+
Get to Know Your Site
Ecological Constraints	+			+
Archaeological Constraints				+
Planting Techniques
Mechanisms for Controlling Competition			+	+
Herbicides Near Water		+
Desirable Species to Retain				+
Grants
Give Grant Advice			+	+
Give Grant Aid			+	+
Volunteer Groups	+			+
Contractors			+	+

Contact Details

English Nature Pier House, Wallgate, WIGAN. WN3 4AL. Telephone: 01942 820342.

Environment Agency Lutra House, Dodd Way, Off Seedlee Road, Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge, PRESTON. PR5 8BX. Telephone: 01772 339882.

Forestry Commission North West England Conservancy, Piel Wyke, Bassenthwaite Lake, COCKERMOUTH, Cumbria. CA13 9YG Telephone: 017687 76616.

Lancashire County Council Environment Directorate, Guild House, Cross Street, PRESTON. PR1 8RD. Telephone: 01772 533905.

 

Further Information and Publications

This leaflet aims to complement and provide local interpretation of the information contained within Forestry Commission Bulletin 112 Creating New Native Woodlands (Rodwell, J & Patterson G. 1994).

An Indicative Forestry Strategy for Lancashire (Lancashire County Council, 1994) identifies the preferred opportunities for, and constraints on, the creation of new woodland in the County.