View of Dartmoor National Park in Devon the view for your next dartmoor holiday
Bookmark and Share
Jill Pendleton at Castle Drogo Devon"Hi, I'm Jill Pendleton,
I've run this website for 12 years. I'm passionate about Dartmoor, and I want you to find the best places to stay when you visit." Jill's Blog

Dartmoor Devon B&B Hotels Self-catering Camping & Youth Hostels and camping barns

  • The National Trust on Dartmoor
    Welcome to the National Trust on Dartmoor - loads of information on places to go, things to do, ways to get involved

    • The return of the Parke Pack


      How do, Brecon here. After all of one person requested it, we are back by popular(ish) demand.


      First off, we are told we owe Fin an apology for calling him 'handsome but dim', so we apologise Fin....BUT...how many Border collie's do you know who run AWAY from sheep! Plonker!



      Right, its been requested that we outline a day in the life of a warden, and though it pains me i have to include the efforts of Spike and Fin...so here we go, over to you Fin!

      A day in the life of a warden - by Fin
      Right..yes...well...we arrive at work in a 4 x 4, then its off to our work place in a 4 x 4....then i'm not too sure because i refuse to leave the 4 x 4... so then its home time in a 4 x 4!

      Give me strength...right, Spike, any better?

      A day in the life of a warden - by Spike
      Rabbits, fox-poo, barking, badger-poo, more rabbits.

      Right, thats it, i'm not asking for their input again!

      A day in the life of a warden - by Brecon
      8 am- arrive at work, tea-break, and discussion of the day ahead
      9 am- eventually decide its time to get ready
      10 am-arrive at site
      10:15 am- Tea break
      11 am - Bit of work or, ahem, 'patrolling'
      11:30 am - Tea break
      12 pm- Bit more work or patrolling
      1 pm - Dinner
      3pm - Leave the pub
      4pm -Wake up from siesta
      4:30 pm - Home time!


      Disclaimer - The wardens would like to completely disassociate themselves from the Parke Packs comments. Area Warden Gus Fergusson was quoted as saying ' This is scandalous! It detracts from all the incredible hard work we do, not to mention that they missed out at least two tea-breaks!'
    • National Trust to cut fossil fuel use by 50 per cent by 2020

      National Trust is to reduce use of fossil fuels by 50 per cent within the next 10 years. Download the report here.
      The move will aim to cut our carbon emissions from energy use for heat and electricity by 45 per cent – beating the Government’s target of a 34 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020.

      In addition to the benefits to the climate, the move could also help us dramatically reduce the amount we spend on fuel - we currently spend around £6 million each year on power and heating for our buildings.

      Meeting the target
      The target will be met by reducing energy use for electricity and heating by 20 per cent and introducing ‘grow your own’ micro and small scale energy schemes using wood fuel, solar, heat pumps, hydro and wind.

      The initiative will involve our entire in-hand building stock, which includes 300 major historic houses, office buildings, visitor centres and 360 holiday cottages.

      We also plan to install more than 50 new wood fuel boilers into our mansions and larger buildings over the next five years. The fuel will be sourced either from our own estates or from local suppliers, with replanting and maintenance benefiting woodland and wildlife habitats. All will be consistent with our high aesthetic and conservation standards.

      We anticipate that most of the schemes will break-even within the next 10 years, even allowing for the huge variability in the price of energy and uncertainty over the future of grants and subsidies.

      Our reduction in the use of mains electricity, gas, oil and LPG will be equivalent to removing 4,500 family cars from the road.

      Responsibility
      'World leaders may not have provided a political solution to the climate change problem at Copenhagen, but that should not delay us from delivering practical solutions on the ground,' said Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust.

      'The Trust has a responsibility to look after the special places in our care for ever, requiring us to make long term decisions that will protect them for future generations to enjoy.

      It also makes good business sense. By cutting our energy consumption and growing our own energy, locally, from renewable sources we will have more money to spend on the places we look after, and a more sustainable and resilient operation.

      Growing our own will also give us greater energy security so that we’re not subject to fluctuating energy prices, or disadvantaged by any energy shortages or rationing.

      Greater ambition and support for investment from the Government is key to realising the full potential of small to medium scale renewables. More needs to be done to help householders reduce their energy consumption and grow their own energy from renewable sources.'

      'Grow your own' energy projects
      As an organisation we already have more than 140 renewable energy systems in operation on sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with an installed capacity of 2.3 MW heating and over 1 MW of electricity generation. Click here to read about the biomass boiler at Castle Drogo.

      Twenty-seven of these initiatives have been installed with the help of our energy partner, npower, who have developed National Trust Green Energy. Revenue from sales of this product helps fund our green energy initiatives, which includes helping two communities in Trust-owned villages cut carbon emissions and save money on energy bills.

      Other ‘grow your own’ energy projects include solar panels on the roof of Grade I listed Dunster Castle in Somerset (funded by Barclays) and wood-pellet boilers at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire (funded by the Trust’s energy partner npower), Scotney Castle in Kent (funded by the Big Lottery Fund Bio-Energy Capital Grants Scheme) and the wind turbine at Middlehouse Farm in Malham (funded by the Rural Development Programme).

      We hope to contribute to the transition to more sustainable forms of energy generation by sharing experiences in growing your own energy with our 3.8 million members, 15 million visitors, local communities, policy makers and industry, and where possible, exporting electricity to other users.

      'Climate change is already having a major impact on our properties and is one of the reasons why we need to act now, both to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to change,'

      Fiona Reynolds continued.

      'To avoid more severe damage to our cultural heritage, wildlife and countryside in the future, we need to move towards a better, more sustainable approach to energy use, based on energy conservation, localisation and greater use of renewable sources.


      We have a special interest in helping rural communities find alternatives to coal and oil for heating.

      Like many rural households, many of our properties are located away from mains gas and in some instances mains electricity.

      We want to help these communities escape ‘fuel poverty’, help them to contribute to a renewable energy grid and demonstrate the practical benefits of going ‘off oil’ for good.'

      Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future and former Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, has warmly welcomed this 50 per cent commitment:

      'This is exactly the kind of ambition level we need to help us navigate our way towards a low-carbon society.

      James Strawbridge, presenter from the It’s not easy being green television series, said:

      'The National Trust faces a very difficult challenge to eco-renovate its historic buildings because they come under all sorts of stringent planning regulations.

      Owning an old listed building is no longer an excuse for not using renewable energy systems, the National Trust has shown it is simply a challenge and that individual actions can make a difference. Obviously there is still lots more to do and now it's up to others to join in the effort and follow the lead of the National Trust's inspirational green properties.'
    • New hydro power report

      New report from the Environment Agency 'Opportunity and environmental sensitivity mapping for hydropower in England and Wales' - shows where hydro potential is in this country. Report shows that Dartmoor has potential but is sensitive. Schemes therefore need to be carefully designed so that they protect the environment... - especially salmon - our thoughts exactly.
    • There's Life in the Dead Wood






      Examples of 'old growth' at Burnham Beeches NNR in Buckinghamshire, a wood-pasture site renowned for its deadwood invertebrates.




      One very misunderstood concept in the management of woodlands is the importance of deadwood, both as standing trees, and fallen trees and boughs. This can also include log piles and trees 'thinned to waste', ie, left where they lie. Some of it, i believe, is from our compulsion to tidy, to treat woodland as an extension of our gardens. Another factor may be that the life that depends upon deadwood is largely hidden from view, and, it must be said, is generally composed of species that would not win a beauty contest. Consequently, when we talk of declining woodland invertebrates it is always the glamorous species such as the butterflies that garnish all the attention.

      To begin this brief exploration of its importance we must first return to a time before man had fully exploited the wildwood for agricultural purposes.
      In this primary woodland there would have been many trees of an old age with broken boughs, fungal growth and rot holes. Equally there would have been an abundance of standing dead trees , making dead wood one of the most abundant habitats in Britain. Through evolution a large number of animal and fungi species thus adapted to feeding upon, and living in, dead wood, accelerating its decay in the process.



      Life beneath the bark
      As many as 1000 species of animals have been recorded living in deadwood.
      Such creatures recycle the fallen trees minerals and nutrients that are locked up in bark and wood, returning these valuable chemical substances to the soil for the next generation of trees in a process similar to invertebrate maintenance of the fertility of the soil after leaf fall.

      Unless speeded up by the growth of fungi and invertebrate activity, the decay of wood can be a very slow process, a large log perhaps taking 20 years to decay completely to the point where all the nutrients have been used up and the wood disintegrates.

      The creatures that colonize the dead wood appear in a natural sequence depending upon the stage of decay.
      Bark beetles are among the first colonists, the female boring a hole into the bark and laying her eggs, the hatched larvae then burrowing beneath so that the bark is loosened, enabling other species to colonize, such as cardinal beetles, wood lice, centipedes and so on. Such creatures dominate the area just below the bark. Deeper under the surface, the wood as it decays is attacked by the larvae of larger beetles such as the longhorn beetles, click beetles and cockchafer. Hover flies are also found here.

      From the above you will have noticed that it is largely the larvae of invertebrates that live and feed upon deadwood, the adults of the species utilising available nectar sources in more open areas of the woodland.


      Aerial deadwood
      Whilst a decaying fallen log provides a habitat whilst it decays, an ageing tree is a longer term habitat, with old, hollow veteran trees perhaps taking a century to die.
      Alongside invertebrates and fungi, such aerial dead wood and rot holes as found on old trees are of immense importance for birds and bats, who alongside insect-eating mammals, depend upon the invertebrates as a food source, thus completing the chain of inter-dependence.

      The importance of veteran and ancient trees is most definately a future blog of its own.



      The decline of our saproxylic invertebrates
      Today dead wood is relatively scarce because man has changed the character of the woods, felling trees before they reach maturity and keeping woodland nice and tidy so that fallen wood is a rarity. A tidy wood free of dead wood, it has been estimated, may be impoverished by up to a fifth of its fauna. This rapidly declining one-fifth of our native invertebrate fauna of natural temperate woodland, that depends on dead or dying wood, are dubbed 'saproxylic', from sapros meaning dead, and xylos, meaning wood (it should be pronounced 'saprozylik', not 'saproksillik'). These species account for almost 40% of Britain's extinct, endangered and vulnerable invertebrates.



      The conservation value of 'old-growth'
      Naturalists use the term 'old growth' for stands composed predominantly of large trees allowed to grow well beyond their economic felling age, and where large quantities of dead wood in various stages of decay (both fallen and standing) occur. Other micro habitats fall within the category of old growth including various kinds of rot holes and fungal growth.

      Where there is still virgin natural woodland barely touched by man (such as in Poland or the United States) saproxylic invertebrates are an extremely numerous and important part of the woods natural processes. That such species are now rare in Britain (and indeed throughout most of Europe) illustrates how modified our woods are from their natural state.

      Many of Britain's scarcer 'saproxylics' are therefore more common in wood-pasture, especially medieval deer-parks, than in dense woods and perhaps only 2 places today retain the original diversity, if not the numbers, of insects in natural woodland; the New Forest and Windsor Forest, which between them contain the largest number of old trees surviving in the lowlands.

      Mature and old-growth habitat is also of especial importance for fungi, and epiphytic lichens and bryophytes (mosses and liverworts).
      Many British epiphytic communities are relics from the wildwood and are of international importance. Epiphytes are plants absorbing their nutrients from the air around them, thus they are therefore found on trees in the humid western parts of the British Isles where the air is often saturated with water vapour from fog or rain. The Atlantic oakwoods of the western seaboard (which includes the National Trust woods on Dartmoor) support many such communities.

      Old-growth also supports distinctive assemblages of hole-nesting birds and bat roosts, as already mentioned.

      Thus, it is not hard to concur with Oliver Rackham that 'a thousand hundred year old oaks are no substitute for one five hundred year old oak'.



      Deadwood and Dartmoor
      Bearing in mind all that has been said, let us briefly look at some of the National Trust's woodland sites on Dartmoor.

      Sites such as Whiddon Deer Park SSSI are thus our most important in terms of old growth and its associated communities.
      When it comes to the woods themselves, there is great variation again.

      Holne Woods SSSI/SAC for example, due to its topography and location, has abundant fallen trees and standing deadwood, and is rich in its epiphytic communities, but poorer than it could, and should, be. Ford's Newtake, at its northern end, was formerly wood pasture and would have had a more interesting fauna and flora before it was left to revert to high forest, thus shading out much of interest.

      Those of you who have been paying attention, will be noticing the apparent dichotomy between the need for old growth and of the need for more open conditions in woodland. Those invertebrates and other fauna and flora that prefer early successional habitats are also declining. Striking a balance between the two underpins the reasoning behind good woodland management and may perhaps be a blog of its own. Suffice to say, many species that depend on mid-succession stages are known to have a wider tolerance of woodland management and occupy broader niches than those of early and very late-successional woodland which is why the emphasis for conservation is upon these two woodland stages.

      Bearing this in mind, a site such as Hembury Woods SSSI/SAC is classic mid-succession woodland. Formerly managed as coppice with standards (early-successional) it is now high forest (mid succession) with its overgrown standards and mature riverside plantings approaching late-successional woodland (but still very young in woodland terms). In the post war years it was managed with a strong emphasis upon forestry and was quite possibly one of the tidiest woods I have ever seen when I arrived, with all wood extracted for timber and firewood. So yes, I am to blame for the increasing mess and I make no apologies when people describe wood left lying around as 'a mess' and 'a waste' and 'a shame', as in it would look better in their wood-burner.



      The future
      Saproxylic invertebrates are attuned to stability, being poor colonisers. The removal of deadwood means the removal of its saproxylic invertebrates and fungi. The link is broken so that places such as Hembury Woods will always be impoverished in comparison to places such as Holne Woods and Whiddon Deer Park, but if conditions permit, ie more 'mess' and 'waste' is left lying around, the woods will accumulate more species over the years as they crawl and fly in.



      Management of deadwood
      Deadwood on the woodland floor makes an important contribution to potential habitats for saproxylic species even in woods without a specialist deadwood interest.

      The following is adapted from Woodland Habitats by Helen Read and Mark Frater (1999)

      1. Bigger is better, both in terms of diameter and length. The larger the log, the more valuable it is.
      2. It is best to leave deadwood where it falls, but if it has to be moved, move it as short a distance as possible, preferably in a semi-shaded spot. Most invertebrates prefer damper wood, and in full sunlight it can dry out too quickly.
      3. If there are large quantities of logs, they can be piled up, again, best left in partial shade.
      4. Large quantities of brash (twigs and branches) can be made into habitat piles. A small number of big piles are better than many small ones. They are of limited value to invertebrates but are fantastic for birds, small mammals and reptiles.
      5. When freshly cut timber has to be moved from the site, do so before colonisation by invertebrates.
      6. Dead standing trees should be left where they stand (bearing in mind public safety).
      7. Consider deliberate 'damage' to trees to make them better for deadwood invertebrates, eg, drilling holes, breaking branches and ring-barking.
      8. Fungal fruiting bodies are generally only rotting the heartwood, and this does not neccesarily indicate the tree will die, so do not remove them.
      9. The adults of many saproxylic invertebrates whose larvae utilise deadwood need flowers for nectar and pollen for energy and protein. Important nectar plants include hawthorn, hogweed, ragwort, thistles and ivy.


      I deliberated with calling this blog 'Deadwood; eyesore or ecosystem', borrowing the title from a piece by Ancient Tree specialists Keith Alexander and Ted Green. But that implies a debate. It is an ecosystem. If it's an eyesore, too bad.

      For further information visit the Ancient Tree Forum website at http://frontpage.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/
    • Plym Valley Wardens and Leigham Primary School pair up to plant a pear

      On Friday, Wardens from Plymbridge joined pupils from Leigham Primary to plant a Plymouth Pear in their school orchard. The pear (Pyrus cordata) is one of the rarest native trees in Britain being found only in Plymouth and Truro.

      The tree was presented to the school by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Warden was called in to assist the children with the planting. At the same time it provided an opportunity for the children to learn how to prune the apple trees they planted last year as part of the National Trust's Guardianship Project.
    • Undampened spirits


      I wrote a few weeks ago of our tree planting exploits in the Teign Valley. Back then we had just begun our task, now we are well on the way to achieving our goal.

      This week we were joined by the Chagford Conservation Group (CCV) a group very similar to the STOC group we worked with before. Although the weather was absolutely appalling, with rain showers roughly every 20mins, the group soldiered on and planted in the region of 280 trees.

      A new problem emerged- the tree guards we are using are 1.5 metres tall to protect against the resident hordes of Fallow deer, which proved about 20cms too tall for many of the volunteers to see down to ensure correct placement of the tree (see photo). We have been assured that once they invent off road stiletto heels the problem will be solved. If anyone would like to become involved with the Chagford group, ring Mike Palmer on 01647 433464.

    • Oak woodlands provide energy again after 120 years
      Traditionally much of the oak woodland in Devon was cut regularly 'coppiced' and burnt in big kilns to produce charcoal. The charcoal was used to smelt iron, to heat blacksmiths forges and to cook with. Until the invention of the process to convert coal to coke, which could provide a more intense heat than charcoal, oak was a very important energy crop.

      Things have gone full circle now and the oak woodlands on the Castle Drogo Estate are being harvested to produce wood energy for the first time since they were last coppiced 120 years ago.

      Oak woods have a vital role in producing the beautiful landscape of wooded valleys around the edges of Dartmoor. The value of these woods to wildlife is also huge by providing a home for many insects, birds and mammals in a relationship that has been developing since the last ice age.

      The National Trust are thinning the oak woods to hit a number of objectives:

      • To provide wood energy to reduce our carbon footprint.

      • To thin the woods so that the better trees can grow into mature trees with all their associated benefits to wildlife and as things of beauty in their own right.

      • By letting more light to the woodland floor other plants will benefit with shrubs such as Hazel and Rowan growing to take their place in the woodlands web of life.

      • To maintain the oak woodlands as part of the landscape of the Teign Valley for hundreds of years to come.

      • To improve the experience for the visitors to the woods by releasing the gnarled old oaks that are getting swamped by younger trees. Allowing the trees to be seen for the wood.

      • The river bank is also being opened up letting more light into the river, benefiting the plants, insects, trout and salmon.

      • The removal of some of the riverside trees also give wonderful views up onto Drogo gorge and the rocky outcrops of Sharpe Tor.

      • Some of the slightly larger trees will be cut up on a mobile saw bench to produce planks and posts to be used on the estate. Soon all the sign posts will be made from our own oak many already are. Some of the timber from the bent trees will be sold to go into traditional oak frame buildings where the natural bend of the trees forms the beautiful natural curves characteristic of these buildings.
      The Woodman's track on the south side of the River Teign will be closed on weekdays from the 22nd February until Friday the 5th of March to allow this work to take place with no danger to our visitors.

      The work is planned to take 5 years with about 3 ha of Whiddon Wood being thinned each year this limits the impact of what is a fairly heavy disturbance. Phasing the work also means that parts of the wood will develop differently over time increasing the diversity for the wildlife and producing a steady crop of wood energy.

    • Parke Walled Garden invaded by scarecrows
      The recent Scarecow building event at National Trust, Parke walled garden, attracted a full house of young (and slightly older!) designers and makers with amazing flare and originality.

      The appalling wet weather didn’t dampen enthusiasm and with a few sticks, bits of string, cast-off clothing & designer accessories and sackfulls of straw, over a dozen figures took on lives of their own. Here are just some of them leaning on the wall awaiting instruction from Herb-ert the resident scarecrow.
       Some or them were taken home to guard the owners’ allotments or gardens, but most were taken to the Walled Garden to join the lonely Herb-ert who has worked tirelessly for the last year protecting the crops of the Bovey Climate Action gardeners from marauding crows and pigeons.

      We’ve looked carefully at all the entries, and although it was very difficult we have decide that the winner of the day is…………..
      and the runner up is …….. Well done everyone. Sorry you didn't all get a prize. If the two prizewinners contact the National Trust staff at Parke, dartmoor@nationaltrust.org.uk or 01626.834748, they can arrange to collect their prizes.

      Meanwhile if you and your children want to join in some of the hundreds of activities put on by National Trust staff on Dartmoor or indeed all around the UK just click on the website. http://www.natonaltrust.org.uk/






    • Canine convenience

      Yesterday, the Teign valley wardens installed a new Dog poo bin at Finch Foundry, according to one passer by, the only one in Sticklepath.

      Popular walks exist from the foundry up Skaigh valley to Belstone and on the two museums route to Okehampton, both are well used by walkers and their dogs- with all which that may bring...
      The picture shows a cheerful Roger Boney (custodian of Finch Foundry) and his new acquisition. This particular model of bin is lockable (presumably to prevent someone stealing the contents) and Roger has just been presented with the key by way of an opening ceremony.
      A quick word on Dog Poo and the National Trust policy on poo bins and the like.
      Dog Poo represents one of the more unpleasant aspects of our job as wardens. We are constantly flabbergasted at the attitude of some dog owners over their pets "leavings". Dog owners by and large fall into categories;
      1. The "I'll leave it it's not my problem" category- this is often acheived by walking ahead of the dog so that they "didn't realise" what it had done....we are all grateful to these people for making our footpaths such pleasant places to walk.
      2. The "pick it up and take it home" category- the truly responsible dog owner who is careful to scoop the poop and place it in the nearest bin or take it home.
      3. The worst sort, the "bag it up and hang it on a bush or leave it on the verge" category. We can never understand why people go to all the trouble of picking up poo, carefully bagging it in a container that won't decompose for 10,000yrs and leaving it in the countryside, better to be part of category 1 because at least the beetles and bacteria will get rid of it.
      Our campaign every summer for the last couple of years has been the promotion of a 4th way-
      "Flick it with a Stick"
      If you are a member of categories 1 or 3 (if in 2 keep up the good work it does not go unappreciated) and are really not prepared to take responsibility for your Dog poo then follow the above mantra to remove the nuisance (and health hazard) away from the paths and verges where children play and wardens regularly strim...
      Many people ask why the National Trust don't provide dog poo bins at more of our countryside sites;
      1. They are expensive (the bin at Finch Foundry cost £250)
      2. They are unsitely-lumps of metal on poles are not naturally found in our Nations beauty spots.
      3. They take time and money to empty- Dog Poo is classified as "special waste" meaning it is hazardous and can only be handled and disposed of by trained (and therefore expensive) personnel.
      4. We would much rather that dog owners could learn to adopt total responsibility for their dogs rather than the "someone else can do it" attitude.
      We will only put dog bins in place where absolutely necessary and where it will not detract from the area.
    • Garden seeds at Widecombe
      Duchy seeds are now in stock at Widecombe shop.
      Organic vegetable and herb seed for the discerning gardeners.
      We will also have planters and other associated items for the allotment holders and keen gardeners of the area.

      The shop is now open every day from 10.30 until 4.00 pm
    • Having a hooting good time at Plymbridge

      Today we had our first youngbird watchers walk of the season and what a good one it was too. 24 children aged from two upwards and their parents joined our volunteer education assistant for a walk around the woods at Plymbridge. They were on the lookout out for any of the hundreds of different bird species we have here. Before setting out the children were introduced to a beautiful barn own and tawny owl. They were able to pet it and if they wanted they could hold it on the glove too.
      They set off on the walk during which time they saw woodpeckers, dippers, nuthatch and the male and female peregrine setting up their nest for the new season.

      Everyone said they really enjoyed the walk and were looking forward to coming back to Plymbridge for more events like this one.
      If you want to make sure you don't miss the next young bird watchers outing put this date in your diaries. Wednesday 7th April or look out for it on this website and in Primary Times.

      A big thank you to Kevin from KK Hawks and Owls for bring the owls out for everyone to see.
    • Scarecrow Day - Parke Estate

      Wednesday 17 February, 11am-3pm: Herbert's looking for some friends - come and make your own scarecrow and if you win, you'll receive a prize and your scarecrow will work in the walled garden.
      Sessions are from 11am-1pm and 1-3pm. Call 01626 834748 (Monday to Friday only) or email dartmoor@nationaltrust.org.uk to book.
    • Young Bird Watchers - Plymbridge Woods

      Monday 15 February, 11am-1pm: A fun childrens walk in the woods identifying all the different birds that live there. Adult £1, child £4 (children must be accompanied by an adult). Meet at Plym Bridge car park grid ref SX 524 585. Booking essential (Monday to Friday only) on 01752 341377 or dartmoor@nationaltrust.org.uk.
    • A place for Beech



      Beech tree at Burnham Beeches National Nature Reserve (NNR) in Buckinghamshire.

      Anyone who knows Hembury Woods SSSI/SAC might have noticed that other than the mature 18th century plantings alongside the River Dart, elsewhere within the woods a pretty ruthless attitude has been taken towards the beech, especially where it has been underplanted as a plantation crop between dense oak coppice. We shall return to beech trees in Hembury Woods in a while but, before that, let us look briefly at the beech tree (Fagus sylvaticus).


      Beech is, of course, one of our native broadleaves, but unlike a lot of the other species that colonised the British Isles after the last glaciation, beech was a late-comer. Because of this and then the subsequent clearing of the wildwood for agriculture, beech was pretty much isolated in the south and south-east of England, South Wales and parts of Dorset and Norfolk. Pollen analysis has shown that it occurred in other localities (including a central belt across Devon) but that by the Middle Ages it was only found in the areas listed above. Where it occurred, it was utilised for firewood and charcoal and little else until the furniture trade became mechanised in the late 18th century. Now it became a timber tree. As Oliver Rackam puts it; 'The beech coppices and wood-pastures that supplied London with fuel were converted to timber production. The great beechwoods of the Chilterns, beautiful and monotonous, with timber trees and not much else, are in their present form only one or two generations of trees old.'

      In its southern heartland, alongside oak, it is the definitive tree of Wood-pasture and Forest (as in Royal Forests), with ancient pollards towering majestically in such places as Burnham Beeches (Buckinghamshire) and Epping Forest (Essex).



      One of Burnham Beeches 'very reverend vegetables' - a beech pollard



      In the late 18th century and into the 19th century, alongside sweet chestnut and conifers, it started to be planted as an ornamental tree in woods outside of its southern range.
      The large mature trees alongside the River Dart in Hembury Woods date from this period.
      The age of plantation planting, (though present in this country since the 17th century), arrived in earnest in the 1950's and 1960's. Forestry in this period, grubbed up, replanted and effectively destroyed more ancient woodland in these decades than had occurred in the last 400 years. This is a staggering achievement, with many ancient woods turned into monotonous plantations, the vibrant ground flora and understorey destroyed beneath the dense shade. As well as conifers, many woods were turned into plantations of beech, because it grows faster than oak.

      Often, as at Hembury Woods, beech was underplanted beneath oak (often alongside conifer, as a 'nurse' to draw it up) with the future plan being that several crops of trees could be taken off one site, dependant upon thinning regimes and at what point in the rotation (time between fellings) the trees were. Either the oak or beech would be removed as a first crop before the beech shaded out the oak.
      No other native tree, but yew, will grow beneath the dense shade beech casts. Oak, birch and to a lesser extent, hazel and rowan, are light demanders. They will not regenerate naturally beneath beech, so as 'artificial' as oaks dominance is in western oakwoods due to Victorian forestry (another blog, another time) to maintain the diversity of tree species there is a case for controlling beech.
      As Oliver Rackam says in Tree News (Autumn 1997) and the revised edition of Ancient Woodland (2003) 'Does beech threaten to get out of hand? It gets into other types of woodland, especially northern and western oakwoods, overtops the existing trees and - it is argued - threatens to turn them all into replicas of Chiltern beechwoods. One hears the argument that this should not be opposed: the absence of beech from North and West Britain and from Ireland is merely a historical accident; if wildwood had not been fragmented beech would by now have become as widespread as a native as it is an introduction. Against this it is argued that beech did not readily occupy wildwood before human intervention. My view is that the beech threat exists but should not be exaggerated; it should be dealt with on a wood-by-wood basis.'

      George Peterken in Natural Woodland (1996) definitely believes it finds its own equilibrium in woodland it colonises, its spread checked by shallow rooting, and drought which it can succumb to 15 years after such events. Beech in its native range, under predicted climate change models, will increasingly be put at risk through such events.
      So let us return to Rackam's view on dealing with beech on a 'wood-by-wood basis' and return to Hembury Woods.
      It must be stressed here, that the presence of beech at Hembury Woods, is not by accident, but by mans intervention. We have the mature 18th and 19th century plantings and their naturally sown progeny, and we have the plantations of the 1950's and 1960's.
      The mature riverside plantings and their progeny will not be touched unless they conflict with other mature tree interests (such as one specimen that is corkscrewing its way up through the branches of one mature oak of especial interest for lichens). Mature trees such as these are fantastic for birds, bats, invertebrates and epiphytic lichens, especially where rot holes form and decay can enter. Such trees of course will be retained unto their death and collapse, when as deadwood they will provide habitat for specialised saproxylic invertebrates whose larvae feed on deadwood. Such invertebrates are our fastest declining species.

      The beech plantations will be controlled. It must be stressed here, that the plantings of the 1950's and 1960's were purely economic. Their initial planting in conservation terms was a mistake. That in the intervening years they were not thinned for their future economic value was an oversight. That the markets they were initially planted for no longer exist makes the initial mistake of planting and the oversight of thinning all the more painful in the present.
      In this present time, the beech underplanted beneath the oak are starting to overtop it, both inhibiting the ability of the oak to spread its crowns and of oak, birch, hazel and rowan to regenerate beneath it.

      Allied to this, we have report after report of losses of woodland wildlife such as butterflies and flowers, birds and invertebrates, in large part due to the decline of traditional practices that regularly let light into woodlands allowing sun loving invertebrates and flowers to take advantage of such conditions until regrowth occurs, allowing other species to utilise these conditions (many birds utilise the 'thicket' phase of regeneration which is absent when woods are planted up).
      So by removing the underplanted beech we can allow the oak, hazel, rowan and birch the light they need to thrive and regenerate. Such areas will then either be managed as high forest or coppice with standards (biodiversity is best served by utilising different management systems thus allowing areas of old growth to be adjacent to open areas, providing opportunities for those species with different requriements).

      Finally, those who know Hembury Woods will notice that whilst some felled beech has been extracted, in other areas it has been left where it has been felled (notice in these areas how dense the remaining woodland is despite all the trees cut out). Extracting it all when it has no value as anything but firewood is neither economic, nor worth the damage to the rides when it is deep in the woods. Also, we do not have the manpower to extract everything, a workforce of one warden and an occasional volunteer can only do so much. Best of all, it introduces an element of mess and deadwood that has been sorely missing in these woods for years. The wood where it lays will provide habitat for deadwood invertebrates and fungi, shelter for regeneration to grow through protected from browsing deer, and shelter for ground-nesting birds from people and dogs. The value of deadwood will be explored in the next blog. Remember, woods are not gardens or formal estates. Mess is great for wildlife and this theme will be returned to next time, but suffice to say that the felled plantation beech is providing more value for wildlife now than it ever did standing.

      Disclaimer
      From the above you would be forgiven for thinking that the Hembury Woods warden hates beech. Hailing as he does from the south-east, beech country, the opposite is true. (Though he does hate plantations, be it beech or conifer.) With his better half still resident there, he is a regular visitor to the Chilterns beechwoods (such as Bisham Woods, the inspiration for the wildwood in Kenneth Grahame's 'Wind in the Willows') and old wood pasture sites such as Burnham Beeches with its 'very reverend vegetables', ie, its beech pollards.
      He also highly recommends 'Beechcombings; The Narratives of Trees' (2007) by Richard Mabey on said authors love affair with the beech tree. Of especial interest was the authors musings on the management of his own beechwood, Hardings Wood, and especially what to do about a plantation in the heart of it, which he thinned out to create more diversity. What he says sums up how the warden feels about the plantation beech swamping the oak in Hembury Woods;
      'It had been planted for timber after all and we would simply be fulfilling its destiny. A bit more light might encourage some regeneration and maybe incursions by the flowers and ferns of the old wood.'
      By removing a lot of the underplanted beech at Hembury we are rediscovering the old wood before the ravages of forestry. There is a place for beech at Hembury Woods, just not the plantations shading out the oak.