A Productive Template For The Future
“I see this planting as a template for Simons Wood and Oxey Wood. Where once we had just ash and oak with a hazel understory in this compartment we now have nine species. This adds biodiversity and ensures the woodland would continue if a new pests or diseases impacts any one species of tree.” Dan Cammarata-Hall, Forestry Manager for Milton Estates, Cambridgeshire.
The Site
Simons Wood near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire is a 22.7 hectare (ha) hardwood and conifer woodland which forms part of the Milton Estate. It is an Ancient Semi Natural Woodland (ASNW) site which adjoins the estate’s 15ha Oxey Wood.
Simons Wood is split into eight compartments with ash and oak being the dominant species. There are also two small plantings of Norway spruce with oak and a Corsican pine, Norway spruce and larch mix. Ash dieback is affecting some parts of the woodland and is present across the wider area. The wood lies just outside the extended demarcation zone for ips typographus (Larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle).
Milton Estates successfully applied for a Royal Forestry Society/Royal Scottish Forestry Society Grant for Resilient Woodlands for a 2ha compartment within Simons Wood which had been planted in 1900 with oak and ash.
The ash had been affected by Ash dieback. In the very wet winter of 2020 90% of the ash was felled for firewood. The oak trees have been retained to give age diversity and structure as well as for amenity and biodiversity value. They had not been formatively pruned they will not command a premium crop value.
In 2022, after the site had been mulched,1,700 young cell grown trees of nine different species were planted under the grant.
The site is about 20m above sea level, with an average rainfall of around 68 centimetres (27.7inches) per year. It has slowly permeable, seasonally wet, slightly acidic but base rich loamy and clayey soils.
There is no public access within the woodland although it is used by the Fitzwilliam Trail Hunt. A footpath runs along a field boundary with the woodland.
The Aim
This 2ha compartment is the first within Simons Wood to have been felled and restocked. The aim is to introduce Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) into this compartment and elsewhere in the woodland. A new Woodland Management Plan for the whole site is currently under development. The long-term objective will be to create a productive and diverse forest, structurally and in species composition. This will reduce risks posed by future changes in climate and biotic threats.
Species Choice
For this compartment, coppice species have been chosen. These include hazel and small leaved lime to provide woodland products that can be used elsewhere on the Milton Estate and Gardens. A first thin in 20 years will include hornbeam as a firewood crop.
Pendunculate (English) oak has been included as a final timber crop.
Landscape value and the promotion of local flora and fauna have played their part in species selection. Evergreens such as yew and box are included for year-round colour and as cover. Shrubby species such as blackthorn and wild privet are included for biodiversity and landscape value around woodland edge and rides.
- Pendunculate (English) oak
- Hornbeam
- Wild cherry
- Small leaved lime
- Black walnut
- Blackthorne
- Yew
- Wild privet
- Box
Dan used the Ecological Site Classification (ESC) tool as a guide to suitability. He combined combined this with a knowledge of species growing well in the neighbouring compartments and in the wider landscape.
A good shrub layer is key to woods around the Milton Estate woodlands.
He chose cell grown trees at a size of 20/60cm and 10/20cm from Cheviot Trees with a known provenance.
The well-developed root systems of cell grown trees, Dan believes, has contributed to a high establishment and growth rate that outweighs the slightly higher buy-in price over bare root trees.
Natural regeneration will be allowed in areas which had been left unplanted due of wet soil conditions. Some field maple and oak regeneration is already visible. The emergence of willow regen in damper areas has been a surprise and will be retained.
Managing Risks
Deer (fallow, muntjac and roe) and climatic conditions are the main risks to establishment.
The estate is in an active deer management syndicate and numbers are controlled. Shrub and 1.5m deer guards have been installed and there is limited browsing. Summer weeds and brambles act as a second deterrent.
The guards are helping to create positive microclimates for the trees. The summer weeds are helping to keep moisture in at ground level creating coolness on hot summer days.
More Information
If you are interested in learning more about this project, please email us at rfshq@rfs.org.uk
Grants for Resilient Woodlands
Our Grants for Resilient Woodlands are funded by Train Hugger and Green The UK. They are open for applications from Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and Royal Scottish Forestry Society (RSFS) members all year round.
These grants are to help people plant trees that will survive and thrive into the future. Creating better, more resilient treescapes for our environment, for people and for the economy.
