Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs Isnt cutting trees down bad ? Wood fuel on your doorstep 6 th March 2010 Nick Heasman.

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Isn’t cutting trees down bad ?

Wood fuel on your doorstep

6th March 2010

Nick Heasman

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Key dates of human influence on the landscape

• Pre 4,500 BC – first settlers small areas cleared of wildwood

• 4,500 BC – Neolithic man begins large scale clearance

• 500 BC – Half of the wildwood gone

• 43 AD - Roman introduction of sweet chestnut and large scale management of coppice

• 600 AD – Anglo Saxon charters indicate parcelling of land with formation of hedges, boundaries and ownership

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Key dates of human influence on woodland

• Post 1066 – Norman laws passed protecting the woodland resource, Royal hunting forests established. 15% woodland cover

• 1349 – Black Death, formation of secondary woodland on agricultural land

• 1543 – Henry VIII Act to establish protection of mature timber trees

• 1664 – John Evelyn publishes Silva, positive political action saw widescale plantations established, though natural in their form

• 17th c to 19th c – Introduction of productive timber trees, formation of landscaped parks and gardens

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Key dates of human influence on woodland

• 19th c – Decline of woodmanship, Industrial revolution

• 20th c – World Wars, formation of Forestry Commission. Planting of non agricultural productive areas

• Formation of conservation movement

• End of the cold war

• Increase in tree cover once again

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Man shaping the landscape

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Woodland cover in the UK

1895 1947 19981895 1947 1998

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Wood for the trees!

Woodland >2ha = 33,305 ha (20% land cover)

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

THE CYCLE OF MAN IN WOODLAND

Light is life

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

Ideal woodland structure

• Mature trees• Young trees• Canopy of the wood• Understorey of shrubs• Ground flora

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY OF WOODFUEL HEATING SYSTEMS

EMPLOYMENT

EDUCATION

SECURITY

CHEAPER

CLEANER

SAFER

CARBON CYCLE

LANDSCAPE AND

WILDLIFE PRIDE

Working in Partnership to Protect the South Downs

The Future ‘…..be part of the

solution’