Trust bid to restore ancient woodland

South and West Yorkshire have been identified as two of ten priority areas for attention across the UK, and work to establish specific sites within these regions is now underway.

In total, the charity aims to restore a total of 52,000 hectares of woodland, including some 3,600 hectares of conifer woodland in Yorkshire. Approximately two-thirds of conifer woodland identified in the county is considered as being in need of “time critical” attention.

Tim Hodges, woodland restoration programme manager at the Trust, said: “The key to the project is the urgency. Many conifer plantations which have been planted since the Second World War are approaching maturity and are due to be felled.

“By working with landowners now to begin restoring these woods there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to prevent these woods being re-stocked with a further round of conifers which could compound the damage already done to the wildlife that remains.”

Ancient woodland covers just two per cent of the UK’s landmass but the habitats are linked back to the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. To locate crucial areas for its restoration, the trust relied on aerial photography and data from the Ancient Woodland Inventory.

Other priority areas are in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Herefordshire, West Worcestershire, Exmoor and West Devon, and Low Weald in West Sussex, and overall the project could see an area of woodland one third the size of London restored.

The Trust plans to work with over 1,000 landowners, offering information, advice and training to help them restore conifer woods to their natural broadleaved state.

The five-year project will begin in 2014 after £1.9m was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The trust is appealing for public donations to make up a £530,000 funding gap via www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/restorationappeal with the remaining support coming from partner organisations.

A major restoration of ancient woodlands is also being carried out separately by the North York Moors National Park Authority. More than 1,482 acres of new native woodland has been planted in the park since 1998, says woodland officer, Mark Antcliff.

The restoration of historic woods, particularly those which have become conifer plantations, are a key part of the park’s woodland programme, and so too is the restoration of connections between habitats, he said.

“We have already helped with a lot of restoration work in ancient woodlands, thinning to increase light levels and encourage broadleaf trees, felling and re-stocking, improving access for timber harvesting and controlling invasive species.

“We want to do more and our emphasis will be on protecting existing ecological and historical features, while gradually restoring native species,” Mr Antcliff said.