Why do we need to manage the woodland?

Woodland habitats are some of the most rich and diverse, support more species that any other habitats. However, unfortunately many woodland habitats are decline and the wildlife that rely on them are at risk. Numbers of woodland birds, butterflies and plant species have all declined dramatically in the past 50 years as woodland management practices have changed and active management has reduced.

A healthy woodland is one that is actively managed to provide a complex structure, with a diverse range of tree species at different stages of their life cycle, from sapling to veteran. Healthy, well-structured woodlands also take up more carbon than unmanaged woodlands.

Woodland that are not actively manage can create structure that is too simple, with trees of the same age dominated by a few species and less open space.

Pests and diseases

The number of pests and diseases affecting our trees is increasing rapidly, and climate change is making their impact on woodlands more severe. To protect our woodlands, it's important to make them as resilient as possible. Woodlands with a diverse mix of tree species and structures are better able to withstand pests and diseases. A greater variety of species reduces the impact of outbreaks, and having trees of different ages helps maintain woodland continuity if mature trees are lost.

Plantations of Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS)

Some of the ancient woodlands at Ashridge were replaced with plantations of broadleaf, conifer or both in the mid-20th century. Known as Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) the trees were planted close together to encourage them to grow tall and straight to produce timber to be used across the estate. As the demand for timber has reduced, so did the management of the woodland. As well as being even-aged and made up of only a couple of species, they are often very shaded and have little value for wildlife.

Conifers that drop their needle can acidify the soils changing its composition and affecting the woodland flora that grows there. To improve the biodiversity of these woodlands we are returning these PAWS to native broadleaf woodland, removing conifers and improving the structure of areas of broadleaf trees.

Our current work

To ensure our woodland management work is carried out safely and efficiently we use a mix of contractors and in-house expertise to complete the projects. Sometimes this involves the use of heavy machinery to complete large-scale work in a cost effective and timely manner.

Tree felling on the estate usually takes place between September and the end of February each year to avoid disturbing nesting birds and other wildlife over the summer.

We have several projects underway and in planning to manage our woodlands to improve their value for wildlife, resistance to pests and diseases and increase their capacity to take up carbon. These works are all part of our ten-year woodland management plan, approved by both the Forestry Commission and Natural England, as well as local partners and stakeholders.

Regenerating Woodland

We are working hard to improve the biodiversity value of the woodlands at Ashridge. Previous and current woodland management work has widened rides and introduced new open spaces into our woodlands, benefitting a range of species. Thinning of some areas has begun to increase the structure of the woodland, allowing an understory to establish where it had been lost under a dense canopy.

We are also working to regenerate our PAWS woodlands and those that are affected by disease, returning them to their previous state and improving their resilience in the process. In some areas where we have planted new trees, deer fencing will protect them from browsing by deer and allow natural regeneration of particularly of more palatable species such as willow, rowan, hazel and oak.

However, there is still much more we can do and with your support we will continue to actively manage our woodlands in the future to benefit both wildlife and people.