Last updated: October 2021
Woodland project is a council project to improve woodlands. During the last 50 years, “lifestyles have changed, leading to a change in the state of the woods”. The result is that the trees are ageing, becoming overgrown with dominant species and losing their wildlife. The woodlands in Reading need work to protect them (for future generations) and the council has therefore produced a Woodland Management Plan in partnership with the Forestry Commission. The plan aims to manage 18 sites of woodland in Reading and implementation of these plans will involve benefits for e.g. the wildlife and community. (Ref. 1, 2, 4)
Bluebell Clayfield Copse (1999)
Carolyn Jenkins (Landscape Services Manager), retrieved 08/10/2018
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Effective management
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Strategy, plan or policy development, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Project objectives
Creation of a Woodland management plan. Implementation of the management plans will involve significant wildlife, amenity and community benefits. (Ref. 1) The overall aim is to rejuvenate the woods and protect them for future generations (e.g. healthy woodland has trees of different ages and maintained underbrush to support a wide range of flora and fauna). (Ref. 2) Thus the aim is to improve wildlife and biodiversity. (Ref. 6, 7)
Implementation activities
A range of plans are included for the management of the woodlands, including; - Tree thinning – felling selected trees, where the canopy is dense and little light reaches the woodland floor, to increase the diversity of plant life and allow young trees to grow on to maturity. - Coppicing – a traditional method of managing woodland by cutting trees every five to 20 years to produce a crop of poles for which there is a wide range of markets. - Holly control – to prevent it from smothering everything underneath. - Bracken control – to increase biodiversity. - Bramble control – to allow bluebells and other woodland ground flora to flourish. - Pond creation – to encourage wildlife such as dragonflies, amphibians and bats. - Ride maintenance – to support species which use edge habitats by cutting an additional area each side of a woodland path to provide an open linear area. (Ref. 2)
Also, pond creation/enhancing ponds to increase flood storage capacity. (Ref. 6)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Control and clean invasive alien species
- Means for conservation governance
- Biodiversity offsets
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Capacity building
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Clear and control invasive alien species
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Council manages the woodlands in partnership with the Forestry Commission and in consultation with "Friends groups". (Ref. 1, 2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(UK's Biodiversity Action Plan. (Ref. 3) )
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Reading Council's Biodiversity action plan (from 2006) includes in its objectives/targets 'to have active management plans for all public woodlands". (Ref. 3))
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public national budget
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
- Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
Ref. 1. Reading Borough Council (no date) Grounds Maintenance. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 2. Get Reading (2013) Council project to improve Reading's woodland Source link at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 3. Reading Council (2006) The Reading Biodiversity action plan. 2005-2015. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 4. Reading Borough Council (2007) Reading open spaces strategy. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 5. Reading Tree Wardens (n.d.) Welcome to the Reading Tree Wardens website. The Tree Warden Network. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 6. Reading Council (2013) WPG Management Plan. Forestry Commission England. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020
Ref. 7. Reading Borough Council (2010) Tree Strategy. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 2. Get Reading (2013) Council project to improve Reading's woodland Source link at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 3. Reading Council (2006) The Reading Biodiversity action plan. 2005-2015. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 4. Reading Borough Council (2007) Reading open spaces strategy. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 5. Reading Tree Wardens (n.d.) Welcome to the Reading Tree Wardens website. The Tree Warden Network. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
Ref. 6. Reading Council (2013) WPG Management Plan. Forestry Commission England. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020
Ref. 7. Reading Borough Council (2010) Tree Strategy. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th September, 2020.
New path in Anenomes in Lousehill copse
Carolyn Jenkins (Landscape Services Manager), retrieved 08/10/2018
Prospect Park - Woodland Park
Carolyn Jenkins (Landscape Services Manager), retrieved 08/10/2018