Cattle grazing creates natural wood pasture
Months of hard work from some bovine friends have helped to begin re-establish native wildlife across a beautiful Wiltshire woodland landscape. The Woodland Trust has been grazing cattle on its Mackintosh Davidson Wood to create natural wood pasture, as occurred in the Great Forest of Selwood, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Cross breed Hereford and Simmental cattle were allowed into some of the areas of new woodland planting on the 57-hectare (141 acre) site back in April thanks to £38,000 of funding from the Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.
The wood itself lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Trust has already been working to link it with other ancient woodland fragments in nearby West Knoyle.
When the Woodland Trust first acquired the site in 1993 it decided to selectively plant areas of woodland with land in-between for grazing. Not only do the cattle raise the canopy of the trees, creating a more open and welcoming environment but they also help wildflowers to thrive by preventing the encroachment of bramble and scrub.
Wood pasture, as is being created at Mackintosh Davidson Wood has long been identified by biologists as a habitat which is crucial for many protected species, including lichens, fungi and invertebrates – many of which depend on dead and dying wood – so we have to take the long view as we watch this process develop over time.
Hamish Thomson, Woodland Officer for Wiltshire, feels the process is a shift towards more sustainable management: “Grazing cattle in woodlands is a traditional practice that has been carried out for centuries but has now largely died out. The areas of new planting where the cattle have been allowed will develop a much more open feel, benefiting wildlife and visitors alike.”
Gillian French, Programme Manager for Biffaward commented: “Biffaward is proud to support projects which help improve our countryside and encourage us to learn more about our natural environment. Introducing the cattle is just one way this project will help to enrich the surrounding area and its wildlife for years to come.”
The next phase of work on the site includes a brand new interpretation board for visitors, by which stage the Trust is hoping to host guided walks to enthuse and inspire the locals to take a greater interest in the beautiful developing woodland on their doorstep.
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.
Biffaward:
In 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to £100 million, supporting many worthwhile projects.
Biffa Waste Services Limited is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide. It is ultimately owned by a private equity consortium comprising Montagu Private Equity, Global Infrastructure Partners, Uberior Co-Investments Limited and other co-investors.
The landfill tax came into operation in 1996. Its purpose is to reflect the impact of landfill on the environment and also to help achieve the targets for more sustainable waste management. The tax, levied on the tonnage of all material disposed of in landfill sites and collected by Biffa on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs, aims to encourage recycling and reduce waste by raising the cost of disposal.
The regulations allow landfill site operators to direct approximately 6% of the tax they have collected towards approved environmental projects. However, any approved project can only receive 90% of its desired funding from the landfill tax. The remainder must come direct from the landfill site operator or from a third party organisation or company.
For Biffaward media enquiries please contact Gemma Mitchell on 01636 670083 email gmitchell@rswt.org or visit www.biffaward.org