Conifer extraction opens door to heathland restoration
Watched by local representatives from Butterfly Conservation, High Weald AONB Unit, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Forestry Commission, RSPB and Natural England along with archaeologist Dr Nicola Bannister and Sedlescombe ecologist Dr Patrick Roper, non-native conifer trees were removed in order to restore the original heathland habitat at Brede.
This was an opportunity to demonstrate the Trust’s approach to habitat restoration which has been funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, The Tubney Charitable Trust and Natural England to experts in the ecological and historical significance of this site.
The visitors saw specialist machinery from a Bucks based contactor which specialises in ‘no-burn’ tree clearance felling conifers, chipping them whole and extracting the chip to the roadside for collection. Most of the chip is destined for Slough power station.
Brede High’s project manager Dave Bonsall said: “Usually the Woodland Trust talks about restoring woodlands from non-native conifers to native broadleaved woodland, so it makes a change to show visitors heavy plant felling a 50 foot tree in 60 seconds!"
“But lowland heathland is a priority habitat under the UK government’s Biodiversity Action Plan to improve wildlife habitats, and we are trying to restore the relics of that habitat within Brede. This will benefit a wide range of wildlife, from butterflies and a flea beetle found here, which is so rare it is currently classed as extinct, reptiles and rare ground flora like dodder and broomrape and birds including barn owls.”
Plans are to graze the area with about 6 cows to maintain the unique patchwork of habitats at Brede from open heather and acid grassland to mature broadleaved and Scots pine woodland with scrub and semi-mature broadleaved trees.
About half of this 650 acre site set around the Powdermill reservoir is ancient woodland – the UK’s equivalent of the rainforest and our richest wildlife habitat, having been continuously wooded for at least 400 years and in some cases since the last Ice Age.
The wood is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, with recent sightings of both red kite and wild boar and increased numbers of barn owls being reported.
The Woodland Trust purchased Brede High Woods, one of its largest sites in England, in late 2007 and is now working to protect this important area, sensitively improve the habitat within, increase access for the public and engage local communities and schools.
Evidence of once thriving iron and gunpowder industries hidden within a complex mosaic of woods, grassland and heath, make Brede one of the Trust’s most interesting sites, for both ecological and archaeological specialists and members of the public.
The wood is situated in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is a designated Site of Nature Conservation Interest. Access to all Trust sites is free.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.