Did you see the amazing ancient woodlands in the first episode of Wild Isles? Ancient woodlands and trees are brilliant for biodiversity but it’s a real balancing act to plant the right tree in the right place. Trees are just one of the ways we can capture carbon and help combat the Nature and Climate emergency.
At RSPB The Lodge nature reserve in Sandy, Bedfordshire, we’re planting native trees such as Hawthorn and Oak to benefit wildlife in our woodlands and replacing some Conifers which don’t belong in the habitat we are creating and maintaining for wildlife on site. Some have been removed to recreate ancient heathland for rare species such as Nightjar, Natterjack Toads and Solitary Bees, and potentially Woodlark and Dartford Warbler.
Sadly, our native woodlands have now almost vanished. Only 13% of the UK is covered by woodland* – one of the lowest figures in Europe, and half of this is non-native plantations, which aren’t as beneficial for wildlife.
Bedfordshire has a plethora of ancient woodlands. On acidic, sandy soils, such as on the Greensand Ridge – which straddles parts of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire (where sandy soils also support lowland heathland and grassland), you tend to find the majestic Sessile Oak and Birch with an understory of Holly, Rowan and Small-Leaved Lime. On clay soils Pedunculate Oak and Ash with an understory of Hazel, Field Maple and Dogwood dominate. In the past some former heathland areas on the Greensand Ridge were planted with Conifers as at The Lodge, which could also benefit from some tree removal to return it to wildlife rich heathland.
At RSPB The Lodge nature reserve we are planting native species such as Oak, Hawthorn, Dog Rose and Wild Privet as these native broadleaf species are good for insects which then provides food for birds. Volunteers help with hands-on land management and each year Dartmoor ponies are brought in to graze on the heathland for six months of the year, aiding Heather regeneration by feeding on Birch saplings and young Bramble and Broom to keep the heathland open. Gorse is nurtured onsite as it is attractive to Dartford Warblers.
Dartford Warbler on Heather (c) Ben Hall/RSPB Images
For heavy duty work we bring in contractors each year to create fresh bare ground ‘dinosaur footprints’ – a JCB digger scrapes discs of bare sand, reminiscent of a large dinosaur footprint, with warm sandy banks that benefit Bees, Wasps, Natterjack Toads and potentially Woodlark, creating new ground for Heather to reseed. They also ‘mow’ different areas of Heather each year by cutting it back with special machinery. This helps to maintain a range of Heather that is at different stages of its lifecycle. which benefits a wider variety of wildlife.
We have some amazing volunteers at RSPB The Lodge who help the site team maintain the woodlands and heathlands. When on site, the Dartmoor Ponies need daily welfare checks, and a small team of volunteers assist with this. Volunteers also help with removal of Birch saplings using ‘tree poppers’ (a special hand tool which uses leverage to pull out unwanted trees – roots and all.) They plant native scrub and trees in the right places and play a key role in monitoring birds and invertebrates.
Jill Shayler is one of our volunteers at The Lodge reserve and had this to say about her experience there: “I hadn’t realised that removing non-native trees could help wildlife until I started volunteering for the RSPB. The transformation to a sunlit heathland was magical. It’s been amazing to see the Heather and Gorse flourishing in the recreated heathland. It used to be a dark and lifeless Conifer plantation less than 20 years ago. You can now watch birds finding insects around the woodland edges. A few trees have been left within the heathland for Nightjar to call from. I often see Mining Bees and Wasps and sometimes Lizards basking in the sandy open patches.”
Volunteers 'tree popping' to remove unwanted tree saplings on heathland (c) A Kell
If you have a little spare time to give and are local, why not consider volunteering like Jill to help with hands-on management of the heathlands and woodland at The Lodge nature reserve. Or take part in tree planting work at the Forest of Marston Vale between Bedford and Kempston.
If you're not local (or even if you are!) planting the right tree in the right place for wildlife can help in gardens too. Native trees provide the right food and shelter for our native species, and we’ve pulled together some expert advice to help you decide what tree is right for your space on our 'Grow a tree for wildlife' webpage.
Always remember if out and about in nature do take litter home with you and do not let dogs disturb wildlife, especially during the spring and summer nesting season.
* Source info re UK woodland coverage statistic
Lead image: Woodland at RSPB The Lodge (c) Ben Andrew/RSPB-Images.com