Woodland Strategy 11.34 Mb - the Dorset AONB

Section 3
Oak 13.3%
Woodland Area by Principal Species
(excluding coppice, felled and open areas)
Beech 9.5%
Sycamore 3.5%
Ash 12.2%
Birch 5.6%
condition and biodiversity. However the county still retains a good number of important
sites sixty five woodland and parkland areas included within Sites of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI), although specific woodland SSSIs are under-represented in Dorset (M Heath, pers
comm.) Two of these areas are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). In
addition there are 621 woodland Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCIs). All comprise
6,693 hectares. In recent years more innovative silviculture practises have been adopted,
such as Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) and there has been a resurgence of coppicing.
Much of the ancient woodland cover is to be found on the clay and alluvial soils in the
county although there are a number of scattered woodlands on chalk soils. The more recent
forestry conifer plantings are predominantly on the drier, sandier soils to the southeast of
the county, whilst broadleaf plantations have been established on chalk soils.
21
Mixed
Conifer 0.9%
Other
Conifer 12.3%
Larch 2.4%
Elm 0.1%
Other
Broadleaves 8.1%
Mixed
Broadleaves 8.3%
Between 1995 and 2005 over 2,190 hectares were planted with trees in Dorset, with over
1000 hectares being ‘new’ woodland planting, a significant increase of approximately 4%
of woodland cover over the county.
Pine 23.8%
Dorset’s woodland cover has probably remained relatively constant since about 4,000 years
ago. Few woodlands remain that are managed sustainably and these only account for a small
proportion of the total resource. Very few parklands or wooded commons were managed
through history, some lasting no more than decades before going into decline. Those that
did survive up to the World War 2 have since been grubbed out, or neglected. The few
remaining managed parklands, such as Melbury Park, Charborough Park and Stock Gaylard
give an indication of how things were. Those woodlands and parklands that remain in a
well-managed condition are extremely important in their own right and the county is
nationally recognised for its number and quality of woodland and veteran trees species.
Quality UK grown timber © Forestry Commission
In reality traditional woodland management has been in decline since the end of the
19th century, and in many woodlands the lack of appropriate management and impact of
agricultural and forestry policies has been a major factor in the loss of habitat composition,