Misplaced Pages

#117882

51-674: The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage . It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Trust has three aims: to protect ancient woodland which is rare, unique and irreplaceable, to promote the restoration of damaged ancient woodland, and to plant native trees and woods to benefit people and wildlife. The Woodland Trust maintains ownership of over 1,000 sites covering over 24,700 hectares (247 square kilometres; 95 square miles)Of this, 8,070ha (33%)

102-580: A continuation of the historical management of the land. Where an owner or occupier is unwilling or unable to carry out management, ultimately the conservation body can require it to be done. Public bodies which own or occupy an SSSI have a duty to manage it properly. Site management statements for SSSI in Scotland are available to download from the NatureScot website using the "Sitelink" facility. The law protecting SSSIs now covers everyone, not just public bodies and

153-582: A largely closed canopy that provides extensive and nearly continuous shade are often referred to as forests . Extensive efforts by conservationist groups have been made to preserve woodlands from urbanization and agriculture . For example, the woodlands of Northwest Indiana have been preserved as part of the Indiana Dunes . Woodland is used in British woodland management to mean tree-covered areas which arose naturally and which are then managed. At

204-474: A long way upstream of a wetland SSSI might require consultation. Some developments might be neutral or beneficial, even if they are within the SSSI itself – the critical point is whether they harm the interest features. The owners and occupiers of SSSIs are required (Scotland, England, Wales) to obtain consent from the relevant nature conservation body if they want to carry out, cause or permit to be carried out within

255-640: A project commemorating the First World War involved tree planting and the establishment of new woodland sites across the UK. The planned sites were Langley Vale Wood (England), Dreghorn Woods (Scotland), Coed Ffos Las (Wales), and Brackfield Wood (Northern Ireland). As part of the project, the Woodland Trust entered a partnership with the National Football Museum to create team groves to commemorate all

306-407: A proposed activity would not affect the interest or is beneficial to it, then the conservation body will issue a "consent" allowing it to be carried out without further consultation. If it would be harmful, the conservation body may issue consent subject to conditions or refuse the application. If consent in writing is not given the operation must not proceed. Conditions may cover any relevant aspect of

357-559: A scheme called Woods on Your Doorstep. Its first employee and director, John James, came from Lincolnshire and was living in Nottingham at the time. It had a small office in Grantham , Lincolnshire. James was chief executive from 1992 to 1997, and then Michael Townsend from 1997 to 2004, Sue Holden from 2004 to 2014 and Beccy Speight from 2014 to 2019. The current chief executive is Darren Moorcroft. A new eco-friendly headquarters, adjacent to

408-428: A site may contain strata containing vertebrate fossils, insect fossils and plant fossils and it may also be of importance for stratigraphy . Geological sites fall into two types, having different conservation priorities: exposure sites, and deposit sites. Exposure sites are where quarries , disused railway cuttings, cliffs or outcrops give access to extensive geological features, such as particular rock layers. If

459-425: A standard list for that country. The ORCs/OLDs are not "banned" activities – the list includes activities which would damage the interest, but also many which might be beneficial. For example, " grazing " (a standard item on the list) would require consent, even on a chalk grassland or heathland where grazing is an essential part of management. In England and Wales the list of OLDs is almost the same for each SSSI – and

510-577: Is ancient woodland. It ensures public access to its woods. The charity was founded in Devon , England in 1972 by retired farmer and agricultural machinery dealer Kenneth Watkins. The Trust's first purchase was part of the Avon Valley Woods, near Kingsbridge, Devon. By 1977 it had 22 woods in six counties. In 1978 it relocated to Grantham in Lincolnshire and announced an expansion of its activities across

561-536: Is estimated that compared to a concrete framed construction, the timber structure saved the equivalent in carbon production as nine years of the building's operation. The Woodland Trust's Head Office is located in Grantham in South Kesteven , south Lincolnshire , with regional offices across the UK. It employs around 300 people at its Grantham headquarters. Its current president is Clive Anderson since 2003. In 2016 Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone became

SECTION 10

#1732855874118

612-516: Is governed by published SSSI Selection Guidelines. Within each area, a representative series of the best examples of each significant natural habitat may be notified, and for rarer habitats all examples may be included. Sites of particular significance for various taxonomic groups may be selected (for example birds, dragonflies , butterflies , reptiles, amphibians , etc.)—each of these groups has its own set of selection guidelines. Conservation of biological SSSI/ASSIs usually involves continuation of

663-420: Is not necessarily absolute—generally it requires the SSSI interest to be considered properly against other factors. Local planning authorities are required to have policies in their development plans which protect SSSIs. They are then required to consult the appropriate conservation body over planning applications which might affect the interest of an SSSI (such a development might not be within or even close to

714-441: Is often pronounced "triple-S I". Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs (or ASSIs), and those notified for geological or physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs (or ASSIs). Sites may be divided into management units, with some areas including units that are noted for both biological and geological interest. Biological SSSI/ASSIs may be selected for various reasons, which for Great Britain

765-561: Is responding to the changing climate. The Trust's records date back to 1736, making it the longest written biological record of its kind. It has become a powerful tool in assessing the impact of climate change and is valued by research scientists. The Ancient Tree Inventory is a project run by the Woodland Trust in partnership with the Tree Register and the Ancient Tree Forum, which aims to record ancient, veteran and notable trees in

816-583: The Isle of Man and Northern Ireland , is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man . SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves , Ramsar sites , Special Protection Areas , and Special Areas of Conservation . The acronym "SSSI"

867-449: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2010 ). Access to SSSIs is the same as for the rest of the countryside of the relevant country. Most SSSIs/ASSIs are in private ownership and form parts of working farms, forests and estates. In Scotland, people may use their rights of responsible access to visit SSSIs. When designating an SSSI/ASSI, the relevant nature conservation body must formally notify

918-575: The National Forest and has twelve sites in Community Forests in England . The Woodland Trust also provides free trees to communities or places of education in order to facilitate the creation of new woodland. The Woodland Trust's Woods on Your Doorstep project created 250 "Millennium woods" to celebrate the millennium. As part of the trust's 'Tree For All' campaign, new woods were planted to mark

969-877: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 , but the current legal framework for SSSIs is provided in England and Wales by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , amended in 1985 and further substantially amended in 2000 (by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 ), in Scotland by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and in Northern Ireland by the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 . SSSIs are also covered under

1020-684: The Nature Detectives youth programme, a project for schools learning about the seasonal effect on woodlands – phenology – and the Ancient Tree Hunt campaign. It looks after more than 1,000 woods and groups of woods covering 190 square kilometres (73 sq mi). Nearly 350 of its sites contain ancient woodland of which 70 per cent is semi-natural ancient woodland – land which has been under tree cover since at least 1600. It also manages over 110 Sites of Special Scientific Interest . There are currently over 600 ancient woods under threat across

1071-561: The Water Resources Act 1991 and related legislation. An SSSI may be made on any area of land which is considered to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna , flora , geological or physiographical / geomorphological features. SSSI notification can cover any "land" within the area of the relevant nature conservation body, including dry land, land covered by fresh water . The extent to which an SSSI/ASSI may extend seawards differs between countries. In Scotland an SSSI may include

SECTION 20

#1732855874118

1122-613: The last Ice Age (equivalent to the American term old-growth forest ) Woodlot is a closely related term in American forest management , which refers to a stand of trees generally used for firewood. While woodlots often technically have closed canopies, they are so small that light penetration from the edge makes them ecologically closer to woodland than forest. North American forests vary widely in their ecology and are greatly dependent on abiotic factors such as climate and elevation. Much of

1173-814: The 2005 anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar , notably Victory Wood in Kent. The Trust ran the Jubilee Woods project, which aimed to plant 6 million trees and create 60 commemorative 'Diamond' woods across the UK as part of Queen Elizabeth II 's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. The largest of these, owned and managed by the Trust itself, is the Flagship Diamond Wood within the National Forest in Leicestershire, which will be planted with 300,000 trees. Beginning in 2014,

1224-560: The ORC lists for each SSSI and removed those activities that were unlikely to happen and if they were to would be unlikely to damage the protected natural features, and other activities adequately regulated by other statutory regimes. The intention of this was to remove the need for owners and occupiers to obtain SSSI consent as well as licences/ permits from other authorities (who must consult NatureScot prior to determining such applications). Purely geological SSSIs often have much shorter OLD lists. If

1275-581: The SSSI Register, hosted by The Registers of Scotland . Further information about SSSIs in Scotland is available on the NatureScot website. The decision to notify an SSSI is made by the relevant nature conservation body (the appropriate conservation body ) for that part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland Environment Agency , Natural England , NatureScot or Natural Resources Wales . SSSIs were originally set up by

1326-414: The SSSI any of the activities listed in the notification. Formerly these activities were called 'potentially damaging operations' or PDOs. Under the current legal arrangements they are called 'operations requiring consent' or ORCs (Scotland), or 'operations likely to damage the SSSI interest' or OLDs (England & Wales). The list of ORCs/OLDs for each SSSI is unique to that site – though all are derived from

1377-402: The SSSI itself). The effect of this is to prevent development which harms the interest – except where the value of that interest is over-ridden by some more important factor, for example a requirement for a major road or port or oil pipe. The requirement for consultation covers any development which might affect the interest, not just developments within the SSSI itself – for example, a development

1428-610: The Trust's Nature's Calendar project. As of 2016, the Woodland Trust had over 80 woods in Scotland, covering 21,000 acres (8,500 ha). In Wales, it acquired the 94 acres (38 ha) Coed Lletywalter in Snowdonia National Park in 1980. In 2016, it had over 100 woods in Wales. Work started in Northern Ireland in 1996 when the charity received a grant from the Millennium Commission to set up over 50 community woods in

1479-610: The UK. The trust has also created new woodlands: over 32 km (12 sq mi) have been created, including 250 new community woods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its largest current projects include the 41.7 km (16.1 sq mi) Glen Finglas Estate in the Trossachs , Scotland and the Heartwood Forest near St Albans , Hertfordshire , England, which will cover approximately 347 ha (860 acres). It owns 20 sites covering 4.3 km (1.7 sq mi) in

1530-539: The UK. In 1984, Balmacaan Wood next to Loch Ness became the Trust's first Scottish acquisition. From 2005 to 2008 it co-operated with the BBC for their Springwatch programme and the BBC's Breathing Places series of events held at woods. It continues to work with Springwatch and Autumnwatch, most recently in 2015 as part of the Big Spring Watch, which encouraged viewers to record the signs of nature ( phenology ) through

1581-490: The United Kingdom. As of 2022, over 180,000 trees have been recorded by members of the public on the project's website, which provides a map of the trees. Woods that the trust owns and looks after include: Woodland Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses . Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of primary or secondary succession . Higher-density areas of trees with

Woodland Trust - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-601: The charity's Chair. The Woodland Trust receives funding from a wide range of sources including membership, legacies, donations and appeals, corporate supporters, grants and charitable trusts including lottery funding, other organisations and landfill tax. The Woodland Trust uses its experience and authority in conservation to influence others who are in a position to improve the future of native woodland. This includes government, other landowners, and like-minded organisations. It also campaigns to protect and save ancient woodland from destructive development. Its projects also include

1683-789: The designating authority is NatureScot ; the role in Wales is performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales ). In the Isle of Man the role is performed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture . Geological SSSI/ASSIs are selected by a different mechanism to biological ones, with a minimalistic system selecting one site for each geological feature in Great Britain. Academic geological specialists have reviewed geological literature, selecting sites within Great Britain of at least national importance for each of

1734-461: The exposure becomes obscured, the feature could in principle be re-exposed elsewhere. Conservation of these sites usually concentrates on maintenance of access for future study. Deposit sites are features which are limited in extent or physically delicate—for example, they include small lenses of sediment , mine tailings , caves and other landforms . If such features become damaged they cannot be recreated, and conservation usually involves protecting

1785-459: The feature from erosion or other damage. Following devolution, legal arrangements for SSSIs (Scotland, England, Wales) and ASSIs (Northern Ireland) differ between the countries of the UK. The Isle of Man ASSI system is a separate entity. NatureScot publishes a summary of the SSSI arrangements for SSSI owners and occupiers (other than public bodies) which can be downloaded from its website. Legal documents for all SSSIs in Scotland are available on

1836-404: The former offices, was completed in 2010 at a cost of £5.1million . The building, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios as architect and Atelier One as structural engineer, incorporates light shelves to distribute natural daylight around the 200 workstations, and concrete panels to absorb daytime heat, to provide the thermal mass that the lightweight wooden structure would otherwise lack. It

1887-405: The interest), but not illegal trail biking. This loophole was closed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and section 19 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Funding for the monitoring of SSSIs in England has been cut from £1.58 million in 2010 to £700,000 in 2018, causing concern that many have not been inspected over the last six years, as required by guidelines. Since

1938-473: The interested parties and allow a period for them to make representations before confirming the notification. When creating a new SSSI/ASSI the designation has legal effect from the date of notification. The interested parties include central government, local planning authorities , national park authorities, all the owners and occupiers of the land, relevant public bodies such as the utility providers e.g., water companies . In Scotland, NatureScot must also notify

1989-464: The intertidal land down to mean low water spring or to the extent of the local planning authority area, thus only limited areas of estuaries and coastal waters beyond MLWS may be included. In England, Natural England may notify an SSSI over estuarial waters and further adjacent waters in certain circumstances (section 28(1A & 1B) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by Part 2 of Annex 13 of

2040-402: The list for an SSSI will only omit activities impossible on the particular SSSI (such as fishing where there is no water), and things requiring planning permission (which are covered by the local planning authority consultation process). In Scotland, and following the implementation of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, Scottish Natural Heritage (the former name for NatureScot) reviewed

2091-519: The most important features within each geological topic (or block ). Each of these sites is described, with most published in the Geological Conservation Review series, and so becomes a GCR site . Almost all GCR sites (but no other sites) are subsequently notified as geological SSSIs, except some that coincide with designated biological SSSI management units. A GCR site may contain features from several different topic blocks, for example

Woodland Trust - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-400: The natural and artificial processes which resulted in their development and survival, for example the continued traditional grazing of heathland or chalk grassland . In England, the designating body for SSSIs, Natural England , selects biological SSSIs from within natural areas which are areas with particular landscape and ecological characteristics, or on a county basis. In Scotland,

2193-979: The new Act, often with boundary changes. This complex process took some ten years to complete for the several thousand SSSIs. For the purposes of selecting the original tranche of SSSIs, Natural England's predecessors (the Nature Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature ) used a system termed "areas of search" (AOSs). In England these were largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas), whereas in Scotland and Wales they are based around districts. The individual AOSs are between 400 km (150 sq mi) and 4,000 km (1,500 sq mi) in size. There were 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland. Watsonian vice-counties were formerly used for selection over

2244-399: The notification is then confirmed or withdrawn (in whole or part). At the time of the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , many SSSIs were already in existence, having been notified over the previous decades under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . Each of these was considered in turn, and either denotified, or renotified —brought under the provisions of

2295-790: The old-growth deciduous and pine-dominated forests of the eastern United States was harvested for lumber, paper pulp, telephone poles, creosote, pitch, and tar. In Australia, a woodland is defined as an area with a sparse (10–30%) cover of trees, and an open woodland has a very sparse (<10%) cover. Woodlands are also subdivided into tall woodlands or low woodlands if their trees are over 30 m (98 ft) or under 10 m (33 ft) high, respectively. This contrasts with forests, which have more than 30% of their area covered by trees. Sites of Special Scientific Interest A site of special scientific interest ( SSSI ) in Great Britain , or an area of special scientific interest ( ASSI ) in

2346-447: The owners and occupiers of SSSIs. Previously, activities by "third parties" were not illegal under the SSSI legislation. This meant that damaging activities such as fly-tipping , intensive bait-digging or trail biking on an SSSI were only prevented if done (or permitted) by the owner or occupier – not if done by trespassers or under public rights. The effect was, for example, to allow control of legal trail biking on SSSIs (where damaging to

2397-620: The professional football players involved in the First World War, giving supporters the chance to dedicate trees at the English Centenary Wood, Langley Vale in Epsom. This citizen science project encourages members of the public to record the signs of the seasons near to them in order to show and assess the impact of climate change on the UK's wildlife. Thousands of volunteers send in their sightings, providing evidence about how wildlife

2448-517: The proposed operation and may, for example, limit its timing, location or intensity. The process is slightly different where the owner or occupier is a public body, but the effect is broadly similar. The relevant nature conservation body sends all SSSI owners and occupiers a site-specific 'site management statement' describing the ideal management (there may be grants available to help fund management). Owners and occupiers are encouraged to carry out this management, which in many (but not all) cases will be

2499-557: The referendum to leave the EU in 2016, more than 450 staff have been transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Neglected areas include Exmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and The Wash . The process of designating a site as of Special Scientific Interest is called notification; this is followed by consultation with the site's owners and occupiers, and

2550-560: The relevant community councils and community group having registered an interest in the land. The notification includes a description of the land and the natural features for which it is notified ("the citation"), a boundary map, and a list of the acts or omissions (activities) that the nature conservation body regulates through the issue of consents. The various laws protect the interest features of SSSIs from development, from other damage, and (since 2000 in England) also from neglect. Protection

2601-504: The same time, forest is usually used in the British Isles to describe plantations , usually more extensive, or hunting Forests , which are a land use with a legal definition and may not be wooded at all. The term ancient woodland is used in British nature conservation to refer to any wooded land that has existed since 1600, and often (though not always) for thousands of years, since

SECTION 50

#1732855874118
#117882