Although I was not involved with this wood during the acquisition of the extension, my understanding is that it was agreed through consultation that part of the area would be cleared of scrub and managed with traditional chalk grassland methods (grazing and manual cutting of scrub when necessary) and the rest would be allowed to develop naturally. This is certainly what has been done for the past few years and has been highlighted in the management plan as the aim for this compartment.

It is important within any site such as this to have a variety of habitats that connect with each other. Within this wood we have ancient woodland, chalk grassland, secondary woodland, emerging woodland and woodland edge habitat. This variety allows a wide range of species to exist at the site, which is of course one of the main aims for a nature reserve such as Blackbush Shaw.

The area that is emerging into woodland is a vital part of the whole site and absolutely full of wildlife. The area acts as a wildlife corridor between the two wooded sides of the valley and as such is an incredibly important habitat for mammals, birds and insects. Woodland edge habitat and emerging woodland (as this is at the moment) are also some of the most diverse types of habitat found in the world, with a great number of wildflowers emerging with the large levels of light that exist along the paths and in the glades. It is planned to continue this by scalloping parts of the woodland edge as it matures, so that the paths and ride edges will not become too dark for the wildflowers.

Regards

Simon Bateman Site Manager simonbateman@woodlandtrust.org.uk