46% of Devon’s ancient woodlands are conifer plantations.
There are huge opportunities to manage them in ways that increase their wildlife value.
Goshawks and nightjars nest in conifer woodlands. Nightjars nest in areas opened up through felling.
Cod wood, Adrian Colston
A wide variety of native and conifer tree species managed to provide diversity of age and structure in the woodland. In broadleaved woodlands this includes a mosaic of habitats with areas of light and shade, lots of standing and fallen deadwood, ancient trees and open areas with new growth, leaf litter, open and sunny flower-rich areas and areas of dense scrub. Wetlands and streams form part of the mosaic. Edit wording with woody grp
To discuss at woodland meeting Nightjars.
UK priority habitat: No
Statutory irreplaceable habitat: Planted ancient woodland and veteran trees
Many of Devon’s conifer and mixed plantations were planted after the First and Second World Wars to meet increased demand for timber. Mixed include both conifer and broadleaved species.
Conifers such as sitka spruce, douglas fir, larch and western hemlock were commonly planted because they grow faster than native broadleaved species so are ideal for rapid timber production. Devon’s damp and mild climate is particularly suited to growing conifers and is where the Forestry Commission’s first conifer planting took place after the First World War.
Conifer and mixed plantations make up 23% of Devon’s woodland cover, currently covering around 20,500 hectares. They were largely planted on heaths and moors where land was less suitable for agriculture. Therefore, Devon’s large conifer plantations are on Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Pebbled Heaths, in Haldon and on the scarp slopes and plateaus of east Devon and the Blackdown Hills. Remnants of heathland vegetation can often be found in the woodlands.
In some places, ancient woodlands were felled and replaced with conifer. These sites are known as plantations on ancient woodland (PAWS). They have ancient woodland soils and are a priority for nature restoration through sensitive management. PAWS make up 46% of the total ancient woodland in Devon, covering about 1.1% of land.
Add wildlife value of conifer / mixed woodlands through discussion in woodland meeting – goshawks, nightjars breeding in clearfell areas on Dartmoor / Haldon etc. Wood whites at Cookworthy?
To write following discussion through public consultation.
Area
The National Forest Inventory identifies nearly 17,000 ha of conifer woodland in Devon, plus around an additional 3,500ha of mixed woodland. In total this makes up 23% of Devon’s woodland cover.
Forestry England (the public forest estate) owns and manages 5,591 ha of Devon’s conifer woodland.
It’s estimated there are 7,335 ha of PAWS in Devon, which is 46% of the county’s total ancient woodland, covering about 1.1% of land. 47% of Devon’s woodland is under management, 10.73% of which is PAWS.
Designations
A number of significant woodland SSSIs are classed as mixed or conifer, including woodlands at Ausewell, Fingle, Bovey Valley, Haldon and Plym Valley on Dartmoor and Heddon and Great Wood on Exmoor.
Of the SSSI woodlands, around 67% are recognised as being in favourable condition and 31% as unfavourable or recovering. Check – all woodlands or conifers?
There is significant opportunity to grow high-quality timber in Devon. The income generated from conifers and mixed woodlands can do much to cross-subsidise landowners work on nature recovery.
Careful management can restore native wildlife on PAWS.
More recent plantations of conifer and mixed woodland can be managed to maximise both timber value and natural diversity – a mark of good forestry. Sympathetic woodland management (such as continuous cover forestry) can create a mixed age, species and height structure that provides significant nature recovery as well as timber and carbon benefits.
Site-specific and landscape-scale control of deer and squirrels is essential as they can cause damage that significantly reduces which tree species can be chosen and how likely they are to establish successfully. Rigorous biosecurity is also essential as pests and diseases continue to increase in number and frequency. For example, Phytophora ramorum and Phytophora pluvialis are threatening the productivity of conifer woodlands in Devon.
Invasive species, such as laurel and rhododendron, are usually controlled in plantations. However, it’s vital that this control continues.
Climate change is having a number of affects. Increased adverse weather events, such as droughts and storms, make it harder to manage woodlands and can prevent new woodlands from establishing. Climate change can also affect which species will thrive and which won’t. Therefore, people creating new woodlands are uncertain which species to choose.
The most effective way to use trees to manage carbon is to get them to grow quickly and then harvest the timber and use it to replace carbon-demanding materials (such as concrete) in construction. Growing under the Woodland Carbon Code also provides opportunities to generate income from new mixed woodlands.
Plantation woodlands and new mixed woodlands are relatively robust habitats suitable for a wide range of recreational uses. The very best, such as Haldon Forest Park, provide a mix of nature, landscape, recreation and timber.
The Forestry Commission provides funding to support woodland management planning and grants to create new mixed woodlands.
Better (wildlife-rich) conifer and mixed plantations that are connected to a network of habitats across Devon.
It’s particularly important to restore plantations on ancient woodland sites due to the greater potential benefits for wildlife.
See Find out more below for detailed guidance and sources of funding and advice.
Management actions to include:
Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites for wildlife, particularly for Focus Species.
FC to add any detailed actions here for PAWs if needed. Otherwise we combine this with the action above.
Design new conifer and mixed plantations to benefit wildlife in line with the United Kingdom Forestry Standard (UKFS) and Forestry Commission Woodland Creation Offer to maximise opportunities for public funding.
Promote sites where conifer and mixed woodlands have been successfully managed for wildlife, such as Haldon Forest Park, Fingle and Auswell woods
See Focus Species pages for more detailed actions and information.
Discuss which species we should include here.
Wildlife will benefit from these actions being implemented across Devon. However actions are prioritised to the following High Opportunity Areas (in bold). See Mapping for the LNRS Viewer and information on how areas have been mapped.
Woodland management and restoration:
Creation of nature-rich conifer and mixed woodland plantations:
Woodland management and creation:
It’s important to ensure that woodland creation does not damage or destroy existing wildlife-rich habitats, including rough grasslands used as foraging areas for bats and birds. Some of these habitats are shown on the LNRS Viewer but many aren’t mapped and survey is always needed.
Advice should be obtained before any woodland creation in the following High Opportunity Areas to ensure that it will not harm existing wildlife:
Consultation question: is the list above clear and helpful? How could it be better set out? Is anything missing?
Case studies and Where to visit will be agreed following discussion through public consultation period and then finalised.
There’s lots of great work going on across Devon for conifer and mixed woodlands. For example:
A number of organisations are managing mixed and conifer woodland for nature recovery. The Woodland Trust and National Trust woodlands at Fingle Woods show how detailed techniques have been used to restore planted ancient woodlands.
Excellent examples of how to manage mixed plantations and planted ancient woodlands include Perridge Estate and Clinton Devon Woodlands. Both demonstrate exemplary management based on a continuous cover approach.
Forestry England sites include Haldon, Plym Valley and East Devon
Always follow the Countryside Code and keep to footpaths and sites which are managed for public access. A few examples of places to go are given below, for information on visiting these and other sites see the Explore Devon website.
Add more links and tidy up, and finalise following discussion through public consultation.
Nature Rich
Long Term. Woodlands in active management for biodiversity, climate and sustainable forestry
Short Term. 70% of woodlands in active management by 2030
More, Larger and better connected
Long Term. Expanded as part of 16.5% woodland cover by 2050
Short term. Part of 3,000 ha’s of new woodland by 2030
At least 15% of plantations to be managed for wildlife (as per UK Forest Standard).
Forest Research advice on management of native and ancient woodland is at FR Guidance
Forestry Commission guidance on woodland creation is at FC woodland creation guidance
Confor guidance on both management and creation is at Confor guidance
Woodland Trust Guidance on Woodland Restoration is at Woodland Trust Guidance
Woodland Trust Guidance on woodland creation is at Woodland Trust Creation Guide
Detailed advice and support on management can be found on Continuous Cover Forestry.
