What wildlife-rich looks like:
Healthy native trees of all ages across Devon. Lots of dead and decaying wood. The trees, dead and decaying wood all support a wealth of wildlife including insects, bats, birds, lichens and fungi.
Trees outside woodland
Snapshot for trees outside woodland
Focus Species:
To be added
UK significance:
UK priority habitat:
Statutory irreplaceable habitat: Ancient and veteran trees
1. About
Not all trees grow in woodlands. Individual trees, lines of trees and small copses are scattered across Devon’s rural and urban landscapes. These trees outside woodland provide important wildlife habitat (shelter, nesting sites and food) for lots of insects, birds, bats, lichens and mosses, including rare species. They also provide stepping stones for wildlife and lines of trees create flight lines for bats to follow.
Forest Research calls these trees and copses Trees Outside Woodlands. Their mapping shows that in Devon they cover nearly 40,000 hectares, making up almost one third of the county’s total tree cover. The lowest cover is in the uplands of Dartmoor and Exmoor, while some of the highest canopy cover is in Plymouth. The Trees outside woodlands map is on the LNRS Viewer under Other useful layers > Woody habitats.
In the countryside trees outside woodland include a very wide range of native and non-native species such as sycamore, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut. In Devon’s villages, towns and cities native trees grow among a wide range of exotic and ornamental species. For example, there are over 54 recorded tree species in Plymouth.
Trees outside woodland also have huge social and economic benefits. In towns and villages they provide shade, absorb pollutants and reduce noise. Trees help create beautiful places to live, provide a sense of tranquillity and daily contact with nature. They also provide significant benefits on farms and as a result agroforestry, the practice of integrating trees into agricultural landscapes, is growing.
Trees capture and store carbon, produce oxygen, reduce pollution, reduce flooding, improve our soils, support wildlife and much more. They are essential to life across Devon.
The LNRS has separate pages for Ancient and veteran trees, Traditional orchards, Wood pasture and parkland and Hedge corridors.
To add following Consultation to ensure the latest data is used.
Area and distribution
Forest Research data shows that the total area of trees outside woodland in Devon is 39,114 hectares . (RK unsure as to whether we can use this figure – why?)
Condition
Little is known about the health of Devon’s trees outside woodland.
Key pressures and opportunities
Given the huge value of trees, momentum is building nationally and across Devon to increase tree cover, including trees outside woodland. Although this is largely driven by climate change, there is growing awareness and appreciation of the many other benefits trees provide. Community groups, local authorities and other organisations across Devon are actively looking for opportunities to increase tree cover and ensure that trees that do need to be felled are replaced. This interest provides a huge opportunity to increase tree cover. However, it’s important that trees are not planted where this will harm other wildlife-rich habitats or species. See Where to focus action below for more information.
There are significant opportunities to improve how trees (and other wildlife habitats) are included in the design of new developments and infrastructure projects. This must be done to make the most of their many benefits, such as reducing noise and air pollution, flood control, providing shade and contact with nature.
There are proven financial and environmental benefits from having more trees on farms. In fields and hedges they help to stabilise land, retain water and provide shade and shelter. When they’re planted in more structured patterns on grazed land (known as silvopasture) or arable land (known as silvoarable) fruit and timber trees can be an integral part of a productive farming, bringing financial gain while supporting nature recovery.
In urban areas many of the largest trees date back to the Victorian era, when space for large species such as plane, chestnut and oak was easier to find. Young trees must be planted to ensure continuity.
Many trees outside woodlands, especially in towns and villages, are managed to some extent, for example to maintain safety and visibility or reduce nuisance, damage and subsidence. Done well, management can enhance the health, longevity and appearance of the tree. However, when done badly (which it often is) it can worsen safety and nuisance issues and shorten the life of the tree. Widespread adoption of best practice tree management will support nature recovery and be cost effective.
It’s vital that tree management is carried out at the right time of year, both for the health of the tree and to minimise impacts on wildlife (including meeting legislative requirements). For example, wherever possible nesting birds and roosting bats should not be disturbed.
Native trees and other wildlife have evolved together and retaining, replacing and increasing native trees must be a priority. However there are opportunities to grow a wide range of non-native and ornamental species that support wildlife and are better able to cope with changing conditions as a result of climate change. In urban areas a wide range of tree species can lower temperatures, control pollution and reduce water flow. In farmed landscapes tree species can be chosen for the fruit, fodder and shade they provide.
Funding is available from DEFRA, the Forestry Commission and organisations such as the Woodland Trust to support planting trees outside woodland.
2. What we need to do and where
Priority
Better (healthy and wildlife-rich) and more trees outside woodland in rural and urban areas across the whole of Devon.
See Find out more below for detailed guidance and sources of funding and advice.
Actions for trees outside woodland
Follow best practice when managing trees to maximise their wildlife value.
Headline actions include:
- Leave standing and fallen deadwood, collapsed trees and branches (even small ones) other than where there’s a clear safety issue and no alternatives. Pile up deadwood and fallen branches rather than chipping or burning them.
- Protect the root zone through sensitive agricultural management (consider impacts from stocking rates, ploughing and vehicles) and during infrastructure projects. Consider brash piling (especially fallen deadwood) and bramble zones to prevent compaction and increase habitat.
- Carry out works at times that are least likely to affect wildlife. For example, take care during breeding and hibernation seasons.
Increase tree cover across Devon in urban and rural areas.
- Follow best practice guidance on species selection, spacing and aftercare.
Consultation question: Other actions needed here? Discuss with Woodland Trust / Devon Tree Officers Group etc.
Increase agroforestry across Devon
- Create new agroforestry schemes based on adopting and implementing an Agroforestry Plan.
- Promote agroforestry demonstration sites, case studies and peer-to-peer sharing networks.
Other relevant actions
Follow the links below to the relevant Focus Species pages as well as to relevant habitat and wider theme pages:
Where to focus action
Tree cover should be expanded across Devon other than in sensitive areas (see below).
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.
- Watercourse corridors
- Woody habitat buffer and expansion zones
- Natural Flood Management
- Water quality
- Community access to nature
Tree planting and natural regeneration should be avoided in the following High Opportunity Areas:
- Dartmoor valley mires
- Dartmoor rare bird nesting areas
- Dartmoor and Exmoor whinchat zones
- Teign Gorge rock spiders, Plymouth spiders zones
- Potential estuarine high tide roosts (see wintering estuary birds layer)
- Coastal intertidal habitats
Advice should be obtained before carrying out tree planting in the following High Opportunity Areas to ensure that it adds to, rather than harms, wildlife:
- Wildlife-rich grasslands
- Lowland mires and heaths
- Purple moor-grass and rush pasture
Important:
- Always check that actions will not conflict with statutory requirements (for example, statutory wildlife sites such as SSSIs or scheduled monuments) or harm existing wildlife habitats, the historic environment or landscapes. See the Environmental considerations page for more information.
- In line with Government policy (Keepers of Time, 2022) all ancient and veteran trees (including their root zones) should be considered as statutory Irreplaceable habitats and as High Opportunity Areas in this LNRS regardless of whether they’re on the national Ancient Woodland Inventory (used for the LNRS) or the LNRS Viewer.
3. Inspiration
Case studies
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 trees outside woodland. For example:
Devon Silvopasture Network
In north Devon, Innovative Farmers has set up a Silvopasture Network trial across seven farms. The trial, supported by FWAG, Rothamsted Research Centre and the Woodland Trust is looking at how tree planting and farming can be integrated to mutual benefit.
Urban trees………?
Where to visit
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.
Trees outside woodland are everywhere – just look around!
Agroforestry examples – Dartington Estate? and by arrangement with the North Devon Silvopasture network. Devon silvopasture network
4. Find out more
Add more links and tidy up, and finalise following discussion through public consultation.
Add links to the Devon Tree and Woodland Strategy – discuss with the woodland group
Forest Research has just published a national map and report for Trees Outside Woodlands
Information on agroforestry funding options are available from Forestry Commission Guidance
The Woodland Trust has information on agroforestry and funding.
The Soil Association Handbook is an excellent background to the subject
Agroforestry has significant government interest and funding available. The starting point is Defra Agroforestry Guidance
Agroforestry Plans can be supported through the Agroforestry Plan Support Payment and the Agroforestry Plan Templates. Payments include Tree Payments , Fruit Tree Payments and Species diversity payment
Nature Rich.
Manage Trees outside Woodlands for nature recovery
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
Short Term. Priority to delivery new Agroforestry schemes