Burnham Beeches Management Plan 2010 - the City of London ...

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4 objectives & Methodology - Conservation 4.1.3 Heathland & Mire What Do You Like Most? The southern part of Burnham “Love the duckboards Beeches was formerly an open over the mire” landscape, maintained by 2009 public consultation grazing livestock, but lack of grazing over recent decades has resulted in growth of secondary woodland over most of it. A series of projects over the last 25 years has demonstrated that restoration is possible but that ongoing management is needed to restore and then to maintain it in good condition. Birch seedlings and bracken in particular need regular attention. The legacy of several small scale clearances is a series of small woodland belts that break up the area; these need to be removed to restore the overall feel and to make ongoing management easier. In addition it is desirable to extend the open habitats so that previously cleared/thinned areas near the Stag and the Juniper Heath areas are linked. Extending the heathland habitat to the roadside areas increases the extent of this important habitat and will allow easier management of tree safety work. It will be a refuge for visitors walking around the road that feels open and safe with good visibility on either side and create a view of the reserve from outside, increasing the sense of experiencing somewhere special. Maintaining a diversity of habitat including all successional areas may require scrapes and hollows to be made by hand at intervals. Scrub is a valued habitat for many species of bird, mammal and invertebrate but should be encouraged largely along the edges of the open areas. It will need regular cutting to keep it at an ideal height. Guidelines for work (heathland/mire restoration and maintenance) It is anticipated that the work will require a mixture of different methods. Some can be carried out with staff/volunteers while others may require large machinery. Tree felling and major mechanical work should be carried out between the end of October and the end of February with the following exceptions: s Bracken control should be carried out in July/August after a check of the area for late ground nesting birds. s Weed wiping should be done in June when it is most effective but great care should be taken to avoid ground nesting birds. To minimise the risk to reptiles it should be done on a hot day (so they can quickly move away). s Manual clearance of young, regenerating birch can be carried out in midsummer (August) as long as care is taken to avoid any nesting birds with second broods. All blocks of trees to be surveyed for bat roosts before clearance work, following the bat policy protocols. Surveys for reptile hibernation and egg sites should be carried out in clearance areas the year before works are undertaken. Some trees should be retained: these should ideally be fruiting and flowering trees such as rowan, whitebeam and hawthorn, or occasional large oaks. Willow and aspen are valuable for wildlife and some must be kept. Regrowth from stools and suckers are readily browsed and may need protection such as dead hedging for 2 -3 years. Some dead wood should be also be retained, ideally stacked so not to hinder any future work. Stumps of deciduous trees should be treated with herbicide or removed by grinding. 28
Target: complete the restoration of an open landscape in the southern part of Burnham Beeches by 2018. Achieved by: selective felling of secondary woodland whilst still leaving individual landscape and wildlife trees and carrying out follow up treatment as necessary. Actions: remove remaining retained woodland belts;complete the thinning/ removal of trees between Stag and Juniper Heath and thin trees along roadside between Beeches Road and Dell car park. Expand some existing open areas. Target: manage the heath/mire system to be as follows. Vegetation targets for overall heathland composition of dry heath to be: 10-25% dwarf ericoid shrubs (heather or cross- leaved heath)
Page 1 and 2: OPEN SPACES DEPARTMENT Burnham Beec
Page 3 and 4: I Introduction Introduction 4 1 Des
Page 5 and 6: Achievements during the last plan i
Page 7 and 8: 1.1.2 Location Burnham Beeches is i
Page 9 and 10: 1.5.2 Archaeology 1 Site Descriptio
Page 11 and 12: 1.6.2 Access Provision Although mos
Page 13 and 14: 1.8 Biological Features 1.8.1 Commu
Page 15 and 16: Wet Heath Where the water level is
Page 17 and 18: Tooth Fungi (stipitate hynoids) As
Page 19 and 20: 2.2 Importance of grazing Grazing i
Page 21 and 22: 2.5 Ensuring the enjoyment of visit
Page 23 and 24: 3 the Vision for Burnham Beeches 23
Page 25 and 26: 4.1.1 Pollarded trees & associated
Page 27: Dead wood Saproxylic species are on
Page 31 and 32: 4.1.6 Maintaining habitats through
Page 33 and 34: Target: reduce any negative impacts
Page 35 and 36: Target: produce an access strategy.
Page 37 and 38: 4.2.3 Community involvement In rece
Page 39 and 40: 4.3.2 Tree safety Tree safety is a
Page 41 and 42: 4.3.10 Utilities Any maintenance or
Page 43 and 44: 5.1.2 Planned heathland and mire re
Page 45 and 46: Objective 1: Conservation Year 1 Ye
Page 47 and 48: Objective 1: Conservation Year 1 Ye
Page 49 and 50: Objective 3: Estate Assests and Leg
Page 51 and 52: Glossary Ancient woodland: woodland

Burnham Beeches Management Plan 2010 - the City of London ...

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