Video: Horses ride to rescue of Skipton woodland

French draught horse Ouragan and Clydesdale horses Nathan and Ben, have been drafted in to help clear areas of damaged ancient woodland at Skipton Castle Woods.

Those behind the project say having horses’ hooves gently stomping through the undergrowth is better than having to bring tractors or heavy machinery into the special landscape.

Alistair Nash, Woodland Trust site manager, said: “Members of the public love seeing the horses.

“Its almost a way of harking back to a gentler way of life, a gentler approach, you are almost stepping back in time watching them.”

The Woodland Trust is working to restore Skipton Castle Woods to its former glory by removing 110 tonnes of planted conifers, allowing native trees to re-grow and encourage species such as bluebell and wild garlic to flourish again. The heavy horses are being used in the traditional craft of logging and removing felled timber.

Mr Nash added: “Ancient woodland is precious and rare; it only covers two per cent of the country.

“When you talk about ancient woodland you are usually talking about woodland that you know has been there recorded for hundreds of years which normally goes back to 1600.

“With Skipton Woods we have almost got a 1,000 years of recorded history.

“It was the hunting forest for the castle, it would have provided the venison and the game, with the river providing the salmon and the trout, so it puts it into a different category when you can prove the longevity of the site.

“I feel privileged to work in it. Its certainly up there as one of the finest that the Woodland Trust has anywhere in the country certainly in terms of the history and location close to the castle and association that it has with the town.”

The craft of horse logging is making a comeback as conservationists look to ancient forestry techniques to carry out projects in some of the nation’s woodlands.

Forestry chiefs believe it will prove invaluable in helping to restore part of the nation’s ancient woods, which have been compered with rain forests for their importance to the environment. Many of the ancient woodlands, which are defined as those which have been continously forested since at least the 1600s when the first reliable maps were produced, and are seen as irreplaceable for many plants and animals.

Some areas are in a poor condition, with some overgrown, dark and moribund, while others have been planted with conifers.

The work now underway in the 15 hectare wood at Skipton. has been made possible by a grant awarded by The Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund and

The areas being restored were planted with conifers towards the end of the Second World War, and the densely packed trees stopped light reaching the ground, restricting the growth of plants, which in turn meant less wildlife.

Gradually removing conifers will allow woodland plants and flowers to re-grow, restoring ancient woods to their native state and bring back the diverse wildlife that has been lost.

Maria Cade, the acting executive director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, Maria Cade, said: “We were happy to be able to support this project, which will restore historic woodland and create a varied habitat that can be enjoyed by all.”

Over £100,000 is being invested in the woods with partners to carry out improvements including path resurfacing, a new footbridge, drystone wall repairs, new welcome signs and information boards to guide visitors around the woodland.

As well as support from the The Veolia Environmental Trust the work has been backed by Yorventure, both being awarded through the Landfill Communities Fund, and by the Heritage Lottery Fund.