You will find this article in the Podcast in Part Two Wildlife Matters Investigates
Woodlands are not static – they are dynamic living entities that grow and develop with their unique mix of habitats, plants, and wildlife species. Woodlands, whatever their size, have a direct impact on the environment, climate, and local ecosystem.
British woodlands are incredibly diverse in both flora and fauna and are great for wildlife. Every woodland is unique and individual as they adapt to the soil and local climatic conditions. The UK has a range of woodland habitats such as Upland, Lowland, Ancient, Wet, and even rain forests! Each with its own unique mosaic of habitats and diversity of fauna and flora.
Upland woodland
Upland oakwoods are often characterised by a predominance of oak and birch in the canopy, with varying amounts of holly, rowan, and hazel as the main understorey species.
The range of plants found in the ground layer will vary, according to the underlying soil type but usually includes bluebell, bramble, and fern, while grass and bracken can dominate. Most upland oak woods contain areas of alkaline soils, often along streams or towards the base of slopes, where much richer plant communities can thrive. With ash and elm in the canopy, hazel in the understorey, and ground plants such as dog’s mercury (Mercurialis perennis), false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Ramsons (Allium ursinum), Enchanters nightshade (Circaea lutetiana), and tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa).
Lowland Woodland
There is a wide range of diversity in this classification but Lowland woodlands are predominantly ash and field maple with oak. They commonly have fertile soils, forming rich to acid areas that form mosaics with other tree species, such as lowland beech and yew. In the last fifty years, many lowland woodlands were converted to conifer plantations, or sweet chestnut or hornbeam coppice.
Ancient woods are the richest and most complex terrestrial habitat in the UK. They are home to more threatened species than any other habitat. The undisturbed soils and decaying wood have created the perfect place for communities of fungi and invertebrates. Many species of insects, birds, and mammals rely on ancient woodlands.
Ancient woods are classified as areas of woodland that have persisted since 1600 in England and Wales, and 1750 in Scotland. this can be confirmed by using maps to confirm the area has had woodland tree cover for hundreds of years.
Wet woodland
Wet woodlands occur on poorly drained or seasonally wet soils. Key species include alder, birch, and willow. Wet woodland is often found on floodplains, or as successional habitat on fens and bogs, along rivers and streams. Wet woodlands are often found in mosaics with other key woodland habitats.
The wet woodland canopy is often dominated by willow (Salix sp.), alder (Alnus glutinosa), and birch (Betula sp.)They are increasingly rare in the UK, but are vitally important landscape features and support a wide range of invertebrates and other species.
Rainforest
Rainforests in the UK are part of our Coastal Temperate Rainforest biome. The habitat is globally rare and considered more threatened than a tropical rainforest. The high humidity and low temperature range create the perfect conditions for moisture-loving lichens, mosses, and liverworts.
A British rain forest could contain over 200 different species of mosses and liverworts and over 100 species of lichen. The UK has an international responsibility to protect many of these species due to their scarce global distribution. Rain Forest is generally found on the western side of the UK with examples on the West coast of Scotland, in North and West Wales, Devon, Cornwall, Cumbria, and parts of Northern Ireland.
Woodlands are great for air quality too, they are the lungs of the country. With their potential to ‘soak up’ CO2 from the atmosphere, they are becoming even more vital to clear the pollution from modern living.
As plants ‘breathe’ and ‘exhale’ they help cool the atmosphere. Plants consume carbon dioxide – a significant greenhouse gas -in the process of photosynthesis. The reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has an indirect cooling effect, that is particularly valuable in urban areas and inner cities. So trees should be an essential part of our City and Urban environments.
Woodlands also play a key role in the UK’s flood management plan. The techniques we incorporate are often referred to as Natural Flood Management. This is a range of natural features that seek to store or slow down floodwaters through measures such as the species and tree planting patterns, the addition of Lakes and waterways, wetland area creation, river restoration, and re-wriggling or the creation of intertidal habitats
Woodlands are homes for wildlife, providing safe, natural habitats for foraging, burrowing, nesting, perching, and hiding – everything our native wildlife needs to live ‘natural’ wild lives.
And, of course, Woodlands can be great for people too. The physical benefits of walking or cycling through woods have long been enjoyed, and finally, the mental health and well-being aspects of being ‘out in nature are being recognised- although it took a global pandemic to really focus everyone – on the real benefits that woodlands can bring to people’s everyday wellbeing.
Further Reading
Why Woods Are Good for our Health and Wellbeing by The Woodland Trust
Living near woodlands is good for children and young people’s mental health by Imperial College London
Forests for Wellbeing by Forestry England
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