Restoration of broadleaved woodland under the 1985 Broadleaves Policy stimulates ground flora recovery at Shabbington Woods, southern England

Abstract

Forestry policy and practice changes during the 20th Century led to major effects in the composition and structure of Shabbington Woods, southern England. Coppice-with-standards stands were clear-felled during the Second World War and replanted with conifer/conifer-broadleaved mixtures in which the conifer was dominant. Since 1985 broadleaves have been favoured. In 1983, the ground flora had been recorded in six plantation stands of different tree species and compared with three remnant broadleaved stands. Five 200 m2 quadrats were taken spread across each stand. The survey was repeated using the same methods in 2015 to assess changes. In addition, in 2015, single 200 m2 quadrats were taken in 21 other stands to put the re-recorded stands into a wider site context. In the nine re-recorded stands, six stands lost species (mean number of species per quadrat) between 1983 and 2015, only three stands gained them. Increases in species richness were associated with management (felling or thinning) or where stands had opened out through wind-throw. Species with higher Ellenberg light scores showed higher turnover than more shade-tolerant species. In stands recorded only in 2015 oak Quercus robur stands derived from formerly conifer-dominant crops, showed a similar richness and species profile to the remnant broadleaved stands. Specialist woodland plants did not appear to be adversely affected by this active management of the stands. The results indicate that in terms of the ground flora at this site the 1985 Broadleaves Policy achieved one of its aims of maintaining/restoring the special character of ancient woodland.