Part of the habitat management works that we carry out on our nature reserves include the removal of trees and scrub in order to improve the sites for wildlife. You may notice the bustling activity of volunteers on your next visit as scrub clearance, coppicing and tree removal activity increases in autumn and winter. Each task aims to improve the habitat for wildlife but each activity does this in its own very specific way. 

Coppicing

Coppicing is a woodland management process that used to be used for timber production, but that also benefits a wide variety of wildlife. The purpose is to cut trees down on a rotation. Many of our sites have areas of coppice woodland, often sweet chestnut, but occasionally species such as hazel too. In our sites which are mostly sweet chestnut, the rotation would be every 15-20 years, whereas hazel would be 7-10 years.

This cutting back of the tree allows light back to the woodland floor and in return we see a huge variety of woodland plants emerging, which attract more animals such as insects and birds. The trees that have been cut will not have been harmed by the process and will begin growing again the following spring – indeed, the process of coppicing significantly increases the life span of the trees!

As the trees grow and mature, the light levels to the woodland floor gradually change too, meaning that different plants (that prefer shade) will emerge through the cycle. The changing light levels and cyclical nature of the process makes coppicing an extremely valuable management tool to help a huge variety of wildlife.

Woodland clearing

In a changing climate, we need woodlands to be resilient to increased pressures such as new disease vectors. One of the ways we do this is by having a variety of species and a varied age structure in our woodlands. This means that if, for example, a disease such as ash dieback were to strike, there would be other species present to continue the woodland habitat.

This diversity of age ensures that as trees reach the end of their life and gradually decay, there will still be layers of new trees to take their place and enable a continuity of tree cover. Where a woodland does not have this diversity, Kent Wildlife Trust create areas of open space for other species to colonise and for younger trees to emerge.

Scrub clearance

Some habitats are special because they are more open, such as chalk downland or heathland. For these particular habitats, it’s a constant battle to stop the site from turning into a woodland, which is the natural progression for these areas. To retain their value as open spaces, it’s necessary to continually cut back the scrub and trees that would otherwise shade out and destroy the species that call these open spaces their homes.

Tree removal

Planted Ancient Woodland (PAWS) sites are another habitat where tree removal is vital. These important habitats for wildlife were cleared of native trees by previous owners several decades before and planted with conifer species to create a commercial enterprise. Ancient woodlands are an irreplaceable habitat, having evolved in many places for millennia, and the introduction of these non-native species slowly destroys the seed bank and value of these amazing habitats for wildlife.

Kent Wildlife Trust are gradually removing the non-native trees to allow light back into the wood, enabling native species to germinate and slowly restore the ancient woodland. This process takes many years because, if done too quickly, the rapid increase in light will encourage coarse vegetation such as bramble and bracken, that will prevent native broadleaf trees and native ground vegetation from establishing.

Habitat management at its best

In ancient times, these habitat management practices were carried out by large herbivores such as aurochs. Our introduction of European bison, the closest living relative to aurochs, into West Blean and Thornden Woods is an example of how we can bring back these species to some large areas and reduce the need for human management.

Though the lack of human effort and machinery is a plus in West Blean, there are some sites where it’s not practical to introduce large herbivores and therefore, we need to continue working with our amazing volunteers to keep our sites in the best possible shape they can be for wildlife.

We’re always on the lookout for more volunteers to join us. If you’re interested, make sure to apply on our Volunteer Opportunities page.