Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Hornbeam Yes, I fully accept that all of our landscape is managed and none can be said to be "wild". Not sure where I stand on recent aliens, but I do hope that we have learned some lessons about importing potentially rampant garden plants. The other related issue that concerns me is over management. For example, there is at present an enthusiasm for wood pasture whereby attempts are made to reintroduce pollarding and coppicing. One of the justifications is that of letting light into a wood that will encourage a diverse ground flora. Maybe, but what seems to happen is that willow herb appears first, followed by creepng thistle and then great thickets of bramble. The losers are wood anemones and bluebells. Those flowers bloom before the tree canopy comes into leaf, but bramble flowers later when the trees are in leaf and the ground is in shade. Remove the shade and the bramble is given the light previously denied it. Such well intentioned management is disastrous for the bluebell wood. However, the rampant bramble is native and not an alien so should we allow it to grow unchecked or treat it as we do rhodos, balsam and Japweed? The bramble is a great food plant for insects though, but how much is too much? |
Properly managed coppicing doesnt result in this because you are not removing the over storey of oak or ash, just stooling the copice layer (usually hazel or sweet chestnut) , in my experience you get a major vburst of wildflowers on the coupes in year 2 , followed by taller herb layer species etc in 3 and 4 before the hazel reasserts itself.
as coupes are rotated on a ten - fifteen year cycle there is always one which has open flora and the others are at diverse stages of growth creating a range of habitats and generally providing better habitat for wildlife.