Mixing Things Up in Wall Side Plantation
“We are undertaking a major landscape recovery and restoration. We see woodlands as a big part of that. We want woodland coverage at 20-25% across the estate. As part of that we are building resilience into the woodland for climate change, for habitat and biodiversity and for other services like flood alleviation for the future,” Ben Lascelles, Managing Director, Harewood Estate.
Harewood Estate is an iconic feature in West Yorkshire and lies within the Pennine Dales Fringe National Character Area. It is being managed through Higher Level Stewardship, part of the Government’s Environmental Stewardship scheme.
Harewood House is set in a Grade 1 listed 18th century landscape designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. Its estate includes more than 332 ha woodland covering approximately 20% of the land area.
The estate retains an in-house forestry team of four headed up by Jay O’ Donoghue. Much of the timber felled on the estate is used to feed a biomass boiler that takes up to 1,000 tonnes of dry wood chippings a year.
Woodland Management
The shift towards managing the estate for habitat, biodiversity and resilience to climate change is reflected in the approach taken to woodland management. As single species plantations of the 19th and 20th century are harvested over the coming decades, most will be restocked as mixed amenity woodlands. A greater diversity of parkland tree species is also being added in locations that correspond with Capability Brown’s original plans.
Stank Beck runs through the estate and flows into the River Wharfe. Riparian tree planting and leaky dams line parts of the beck. These are designed to take up and disperse water flow to alleviate flood risk downstream.
Extensive rhododendron removal in estate woodlands has disturbed long dormant seed banks. This has resulted in a woodland wildflower revival, including bluebells. Wild flowers also form an important part of meadow development. Grazing by Hebridean sheep, Angus and Highland cattle are key to maintaining and expanding the meadows while also providing a high-end market product.
The woodlands are now home to around 50 breeding pairs of red kites, a Schedule 1 protected species.
Wall Side Plantation
“There were a number of health issues with the poplar, and they needed to come out. That area is normally damp and runs along the roadside. We planted a mix of trees and shrubs. That was in 2022 . Since then there has been drought and some long periods of wet."
Wall Side Plantation forms part of an almost contiguous woodland feature around the entire boundary of the estate. It stands at about 90m above sea level and is very visible from busy A roads, B roads.
One 1 ha sub-compartment of Wall Side Plantation had been planted with a stand of poplars in the 1960s. It runs alongside an 18th Century boundary wall and drainage ditch which divide it from the busy A61.
The sub-compartment is on damp ground, sloping slightly downhill. The poplars had become affected by butt rot and were removed in autumn 2021 for public and road safety reasons and to prevent spread of disease.
Harewood Estate successfully applied to the Royal Forestry Society for a Grant for Resilient Woodlands to restock the sub compartment with a wide mix of trees and shrubs.
Public Consultation
A permissive footpath runs through the middle of Wall Side Plantation. It links up with a Public Right of Way. This creates the ‘Harewood Loop’ – a 5-mile circular walk that is very popular with local walkers and visitors to the Estate.
Around 50,000 vehicles a day use the A61.
Drivers using the adjoining roads and walkers using the estate paths were concerned by the felling of the poplars. The estate provided articles in parish magazines and posts on local social media. These explained the reasons for the tree removals and the benefits of the new planting scheme to:
- create resilience to species-specific pests and diseases
- add greater biodiversity
- improve visual appeal
- use shrubs to add food source and cover for birds and other wildlife
- develop a roadside feathering effect to strengthen the woodland against storms
- take up roadside air pollution
- increase carbon uptake in the soils
Tree Choice and Planting
Soils across the estate are of moderate fertility and will grow a wide species range. Average annual rainfall is approximately 950mm compared with the national average of 1154mm.
Following removal of the poplars, the sub compartment was mulched in preparation for planting.
With advice from consultants Lockhart and Garratt 1900 trees were planted under the Grant for Resilient Woodlands in during winter 2021-2022.
Most trees were bought in at 60cm bareroot from local suppliers Thorpe Trees and have traceable provenance. 150 oak were added at 1m to provide height and age diversity at an early stage.
Scots pine was chosen as a habitat for the growing red kite population and for winter cover and colour. Shrubs were chosen to provide fruit and nuts for wildlife and for their ability to help filter air pollution.
- 525 pedunculate oak bareroot + 150 at 1m
- 350 wild cherry
- 350 Scots pine
- 350 sweet chestnut
- 175 mixed shrubs including: hazel, hawthorn, elder, dog wood, spindle and goat willow.
The trees were planted in small mixed groups. Broadleaved trees were planted at a density of 1600 per ha with Scots pine at 2500 per ha. Shrubs were planted as a woodland fringe alongside the wall and drainage ditch. Larger trees species were planted further back from the road to blend into the adjacent compartment.
10% open areas were left to encourage woodland flora and fauna which had been largely absent under the poplar canopy.
Immediately adjoining the sub compartment is a mature mixed woodland compartment containing at least 19 species. The new plantings will grow to blend in with this mature compartment.
Care and Maintenance
Weeding was carried out in Year One. This included brush cutting bramble and poplar regrowth from stumps.
Trees were planted in tree guards. Rigorous squirrel and deer control (in partnership with the British Deer Society) are practiced across the estate. There is very little evidence of damage by either species in this sub compartment.
The new trees faced a challenging summer of drought followed by a very wet winter and spring. An initial estimate suggests around 800 trees have been lost with Scots pine and sweet chestnut among the heaviest casualties, Willow, however appears to have thrived and there is some evidence of poplar regrowth.
The sub compartment is on a slight slope with one particularly boggy area where few species have survived.
A full Beat Up is planned for 2024/25 with more brushcutting of the poplar regrowth. Trees lost will be restocked.
Longer term pruning is planned. Management will be to UK Forestry Standard in line with the Estate Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan.
Early Successes
The sub compartment is already more diverse than it has been for many decades. Growth of ground flora has been prolific.
Public support for the project has been broad, supporting the estate’s wider commitment to enhancing habitats and biodiversity and building in resilience to climate change.
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.
