What other habitats do we care for?
The Woodland Trust manages around 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of other 'non-wooded' habitats’.
Although the Woodland Trust’s name implies that woodland is what we’re all about, and indeed they are the mainstay of our raison d'etre, our remit actually encompasses much more than merely tree covered land.
As far as it still exists around the world, natural woodland tends to comprise of a complex continuum of dense forest in fertile low-lying areas, sparse tree cover and shrubs (perhaps where the ground conditions are more infertile or at high altitude) to open space.
Open spaces also occur on boggy ground or open water, in heavily grazed regions and where soils are thin and trees find it difficult to grow roots and establish.
Sometimes this is temporary open space; for example if we purchase farmland for woodland creation and it makes sense for us to carry on farming and harvesting the existing agricultural crop until we are ready to plant new trees.
Other times we leave the land fallow while all the consultation and permissions required to plant trees are in place. This process can take many months, especially if the site is sensitive ecologically, for landscape or archaeological reasons.
Each site is individually and carefully assessed and no blanket prescription exits. In limited cases we will continue farming the land, usually in a low intensity way, such as grazing the site.
Where there are existing important semi-natural habitats, such as lowland heath or grasslands, we of course recognise the value of this ‘other habitat’ and often put specific measures in place to protect it as it all contributes positively to the wider environment.
A varied site with open, semi-natural habitat and native woodland is particularly rich in flora and fauna, much more so than a wall-to-wall plantation of just trees, whether these are native or not.