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The
TREES AND WOODLAND
Approach
Key elements
•Open-grown mature and veteran
trees
•Glades and rides
•Full shade and high humidity
This guide covers wood pasture and parkland as well as the five
woodland priority habitats. There are 256 priority species that are
associated with these habitats, a large proportion of which are
associated with veteran trees or woodland edge.
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•Ecotones
•Large-scale mosaic
Management guides for this habitat
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Open-grown mature and veteran
trees
These trees have unimpeded growth; they are not
surrounded by other trees that limit side-branch
structure.
Veteran trees tend to be large specimens with spreading
crowns and thick boughs that are exposed, or semiexposed, to sunlight. Valuable resources in these trees
include bark crevices, dead bough ends, and heart rot.
Many species of invertebrate require small cavities, so
the trees do not necessarily have to be ancient to be of
importance.
Key determining factors:
•Disturbance – Management to maintain open
conditions, usually by grazing.
•Time – continuity, with trees at all stages of growth.
•Air quality – important for lichens.
Photograph: Peter Wakely
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Open-grown mature and veteran trees
– associated priority species
95% of priority species in wood pasture and parkland are associated with
open-grown mature and veteran trees. Examples, with their requirements,
are:
- mature broadleaved woodland,
especially oak, with well-grown canopy (uncrowded);
humidity; standing dead wood.
•Violet click beetle – open-grown veteran trees; decayed
wood (heart rot).
•Constant bolete - warm soil; short sward; veteran, opengrown beech; mycorrhizal.
•Buellia hyperbolica, a lichen - very acid veteran oaks;
sheltered well-lit situations; grazed woodlands; advanced
degree of canopy disintegration; wound tracks required.
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Glades and rides
These are sheltered areas of grassland, heathland and other open habitats surrounded by woodland,
with well graded edges. Such areas can support both open-habitat species and woodland species that
require shelter. Low-growing tree branches and scrub that overhang herb vegetation can be a very
important habitat.
Glade conditions are also present
temporarily following the
coppicing or clear felling of small
areas. Also, many species are
associated with the structural
diversity that is created when
this is done on rotation.
Key determining factors:
Disturbance – management by
grazing or cutting.
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Photograph: Peter Wakely
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Glades and rides – associated priority species
Around two thirds of priority species in woodland are associated with glades and rides. Another 12%
are associated with coppice and clear fells. Examples, with their requirements, are:
- woodland clearings;
coppice, ride edges, scrub edge; bracken usually
present in lowlands; abundant violets (foodplant) in
short, sparse vegetation with lots of leaf litter;
sheltered locations (uneven topography or within
scrub).
•Betony case-bearer moth – betony (foodplant) along
woodland rides; sheltered locations (uneven
topography or within scrub).
•Crested cow-wheat - margins and clearings of oak
woodland; partial shade; calcium-rich soils.
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Full shade and high humidity
Found in closed-canopy woodland with mature trees,
these conditions are particularly important for a
number of lichens and bryophytes.
Some species are associated with the soil, litter and
short vegetation rather than the canopy or
understorey. For others, tree trunks, branches, tree
roots, tree bases, or standing or fallen dead wood are
important.
Key determining factors:
•Disturbance – non-intervention is often the most
appropriate form of management.
•Air quality – important for bryophytes.
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Photograph: Peter Wakely
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Full shade and high humidity – associated priority species
Over 20% of priority species in woodland are associated with full shade and high humidity . Examples,
with their requirements, are:
•Wood warbler - even-aged closed canopy; little understorey/shrub-layer; patchy ground-cover
(nesting).
•Boring millipede - beech litter; shaded.
•Long-leaved tail-moss - steep sided, vertical calcareous rock faces in woodland; ravines; shaded.
•Red helleborine - well-drained sloping sites; deciduous woodland; calcareous soils; open ground (no
shrub cover); closed canopy.
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Ecotones
These are the gradation between two adjoining habitats, for example woodland and grassland.
Ecotones should not be severe; there should be a gradual change from one habitat to the other. The
wider and more varied the structure the better.
Bays and scalloped edges in
woodland should be encouraged as
these can provide shelter.
Key determining factors:
•Succession
•Disturbance - various types of
management that encourage a
transition from woodland to other
habitats.
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Photograph: Tony Robinson
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Ecotones – associated priority species
Many priority species in woodland, wood pasture and parklands are associated with ecotones.
Examples, with their requirements, are:
• Nightjar - mosaic of bare ground, low/medium vegetation, and low/scrubby trees, often in the
woodland-edge ecotone (nesting); wide range of habitats (feeding).
•Duke of Burgundy – cowslip and primrose (foodplants) amongst tussocky vegetation; scrub edge and
woodland clearings; humid condition; sheltered locations (uneven topography or within scrub).
•New Forest cicada – warm; south-facing; woodland-scrub-grassland ecotone.
•Scarce brown streak moth - mosses on large old, open-grown trees on wood edge and parkland.
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Large-scale mosaic
This refers to the juxtaposition of different habitats within a landscape, such as grasslands and
wetlands adjacent to woodlands. Large-scale mosaics are largely required by highly-mobile terrestrial
species, and can include both priority and non-priority habitats.
Key determining factors:
•Scale
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Photograph: Tony Robinson
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Large-scale mosaic – associated priority species
Many priority species in woodland, wood pasture and parkland
are associated with large-scale mosaics. Examples, with their
requirements, are:
- roosts in trees and buildings; hunts in
tree canopy and understorey; good vegetation linkages for
commuting between roosts and foraging grounds.
•Common cuckoo - range of habitats: woodland edge, scrub,
wetland where host species found (eg reed warbler, meadow
pipit, dunnock); feeds in tall herb and scrub.
Adder - tight mosaic of vegetation; heat; mammals and lizards
for prey; open habitats (non-shading).
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Management guides
Managing ancient and native woodland in England
Veteran trees: a guide to good management
Ancient and other veteran trees: further guidance on management
Ancient tree guides
Illustrated guide to trees, woodlands and scrub
The dormouse conservation handbook
Woodland management for birds (available from RSPB conservation advice)
Woodland management for butterflies and moths: a best practice guide
Promoting habitat mosaics for invertebrates - wood pasture and other veteran tree
sites (You may need to exit the slideshow to view this document)
Managing priority habitats for invertebrates (Buglife)
Lowland beech and yew woodland; Wet woodland; Upland mixed ashwoods; Upland
oakwood; Lowland wood pastures and parkland
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