Ancient woodland is our richest habitat for wildlife yet for many landowners it is part of a landholding that is also a business. Game, agriculture, timber and woodfuel production may well be the activities that support and fund woodland protection.
This productive use of land is an essential part of a sustainable future. But so too is the protection of irreplaceable elements of the land’s cultural and biological inheritance.
With this in mind the Woodland Trust has produced a guide for owners and mangers of ancient woods to help them identify important features of ancient woods and give these features protection during normal management activities
These pages are aimed at people who own or manage land on which there are woods and trees. It provides the basic tools needed to get started on identifying ancient woodland features and gives advice on protecting them. Copies of the guide can also be downloaded from these pages.
It is not a detailed or prescriptive manual; getting this sort of work right depends on being responsive to site specific knowledge, conditions and circumstances. These pages also provide guidance on combining the protection of ancient woodland features with other management objectives and activities.