The Woodland Trust welcomes this opportunity to respond to this document. The comments that follow are delivered on behalf of the United Kingdom’s leading charity solely dedicated to the conservation of native and broadleaved woodland. We achieve our purposes through a combination of acquiring woodland and sites for planting and through wider advocacy of the importance of protecting ancient woodland, enhancing its biodiversity, expanding woodland cover and increasing public enjoyment. We own over 1,100 sites across the country, covering around 18,000 hectares and we have 250,000 members and supporters.
The Trust and the Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) are working together in promoting the conservation of ancient trees. The ATF has always pioneered the conservation of ancient trees and is the main UK organisation concerned solely with their conservation. The ATF seeks to secure the long-term future of ancient trees through advocacy of no further avoidable loss of ancient trees, good management of ancient trees, the development of a succession of future ancient trees, and seeking to raise awareness and understanding of the value and importance of ancient trees.
This response is a joint response from the two organisations from the perspective of our common interest in ancient landscapes and ancient trees.
In relation to ancient trees, wood pasture and ancient woodland; fungi, lower plants and invertebrates are of great importance as valuable indicators of habitat continuity. The review rightly recognises that, despite their ecological importance, conservationists have neglected fungi. There is no current UK Red Data List for fungi although there are many species of rare fungi that rely on a continuity of ancient trees and decaying wood habitat. The role of fungi and other decomposing species associated with recycling of minerals and nutrients and soil process must now be recognised and appropriate biodiversity action taken.
Invertebrate species have in some instances already been used to demonstrate habitat continuity and this has led to better informed conservation priorities. It is clear from the lists of Coleoptera and Diptera in the review document, that where the threats are identified in some detail, there are a host of rare and nationally scarce species threatened by loss of ancient trees. However invertebrate RD Lists were compiled twenty years ago and are in need of extensive revision. They should therefore only be used as a guide and not as a definitive list of species in need of protection.
We would wish to see government agencies actively seeking expertise in fungus, invertebrate and lower plant ecology to ensure previously under-recognised taxa are protected as important indicators of habitat continuity.
Although this review is concerned with species on Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, The Woodland Trust and the ATF would prefer action to be focused primarily on habitat conservation as a priority instead of further specific species conservation. As our knowledge of the natural world is limited, especially in relation to the requirements of individual species, we need to ensure we conserve their habitats to safeguard the future of all species.
However we do not believe that the UK BAP process as a whole adequately addresses the importance of ancient trees and decaying wood habitats. Individual and groups of ancient trees that exist outside wood pastures and parklands for example in ancient woodlands, fields and field margins and along river valleys, have no mechanism for protection or biodiversity action.
Ancient trees of any native species are rare in themselves, but rare species legislation does not allow for the protection of these trees when the species itself is not rare. This is despite the fact that a single ancient tree alone can be host to a single species of beetle (for example, the Moccas beetle on one tree at Moccas Park). We would therefore wish to see legislation introduced to protect significant ancient trees.
The Woodland Trust, Autumn Park, Grantham, LINCOLNSHIRE NG31 6LL
http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk
www.ancient-tree-forum
For further information please contact either:
Jill Butler on 01628 533035, email: jillbutler@woodland-trust.org.uk, or
Ed Pomfret on 01476 581 111, email: edpomfret@woodland-trust.org.uk
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