The landscape many people are familiar with today is a relatively new one, which has developed since the 1920s when grazing ceased. Since the end of the Ice Age it has mostly been an open chalk downland with scattered scrub. They’ll see a dramatic change, as the majority of trees have been felled in response to Ash Dieback. The primary reason for this is safety, where trees are adjacent to the bridleway and private property. Many trees don’t look very infected but it progresses quickly. For a nature conservation organisation like the National Trust it is a painful thing to have to do.
Restoring Tennyson Down's rare chalk grassland
The secondary outcome of the felling is to take the opportunity to restore some more of the species rich chalk grassland. This is why the down has SSSI status (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and why we have felled sycamore. Secondary woodland with a ground cover of ivy, gooseberry and privet does have its place, but it has limited value for wildlife. The soil is still relatively thin on the slope and there are likely to be chalk grassland seeds in the seed bank. Most of the stumps will be ground down to prepare the ground for the best chance of colonising chalk grassland flowers and grasses over the next 10 years. It is quite likely that taller plants, bramble and privet will grow first. However, with cattle grazing and follow-up tractor cutting, the less competitive chalk grassland plants will gradually re-establish.
There are some more ash trees adjacent to the footpath going east that we will fell next winter, but these will be done by hand, not big machinery. At the west end of the clear-felled strip we will clear a block of trees to connect this strip with the chalk grassland on top of the down. Connecting the cleared areas allows the chalk grassland seeds to spread. This has worked well at the Moons Hill end where we connected Moons Hill with the top a few years ago.
The bridleway and path had to be re-profiled to allow the machinery to gain access. The re-grading that was done as the machines left the site has created a much better surface to the public right of way. In years to come the adjacent banks will be covered with primroses, orchids, violets, butterflies and many other insects.
All the work we have done has been undertaken with the necessary consents from Forestry England, Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Council.
This Historic England aerial photograph shows how Tennyson Down looked in 1920
How is the land going to be restored following the works?
The ground will take time to establish, but it’s better to let that happen naturally than re-seed; it is very hard to find enough native seed of local provenance. There is plenty of native seed close by and grazing cattle will help it to spread. This restoration will provide more joined up grassland habitat, and when established, it will be a beautiful landscape full of wildlife, including many rare and threatened chalk grassland flowers, butterflies and other insects.
Will the removal of the trees cause soil erosion?
The chalk soils on Tennyson Down are highly porous and rainwater soon soaks in, so soil loss is much less risky here that on sand or clay. Once grassland is established it helps to retain rainwater and prevent runoff. The north slope of the Down is in the lee of the prevailing winds which further reduces the risks.
Will the chalk grassland be as good for the planet as trees?
Established grassland is a highly efficient store for carbon, and where chalk grassland is much rarer than secondary woodland with an ivy and privet understorey, we believe it is the right decision to favour chalk grassland restoration in this instance.
What will Tennyson Down look like in the future?
In ten years time Tennyson Down will have a mixture of flower and butterfly-rich grassland, scattered scrub with breeding birds, and secondary woodland with a range of woodland birds like mistle thrush, song thrush and great spotted woodpecker. Although the work we have done here is a big change, we strongly believe that we are helping Tennyson Down to become more species-rich and beautiful place, as it has been for hundreds of years.