COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

Tab. 2: Age class distribution of the beech resource within Great Britain
Data obtained from the latest FC National Inventory of Woodlands and Trees (2001 – 2002)
Total
Small
woods
Nontimber
Total
timber
Pre-
1861
1861-
1900
1901-
1910
1911-
1920
1921-
1930
1931-
1940
1941-
1950
1951-
1960
1961-
1970
1971-
1980
1981-
1990
1991-
1995
Class
Country ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
England 785 1,014 1,968 5,685 7,689 5,613 3,925 5,707 5,252 2,136 9,961 4,889 54,624 5,948 3,450 64,022
Wales 100 20 13 250 872 421 688 319 408 81 1,090 274 4,536 2,833 1,629 8,998
Scotland 182 94 85 179 381 109 369 213 369 92 1,221 1,034 4,330 4,280 1,351 9,961
Total 1,067 1,128 2,066 6,114 8,942 6,143 4,982 6,239 6,029 2,309 12,272 6,197 63,490 13,061 6,430 82,981
% Total 1.3 1.4 2.5 7.4 10.8 7.4 6.0 7.5 7.3 2.8 14.8 7.5 76.5 15.7 7.8 100
Notes: 1. Age class data is only available within the NIWT survey for that portion of the beech resource which is classed as “High Forest Category 1” (i. e.
potentially capable of producing sawlog quality timber at final harvest) and standing in woodlands in excess of 2 ha. Aggregated totals are provided for
(a) the poorer material in woods > 2 ha in extent and (b) for material of any quality in smaller woodlands/linear features. This allows for reconciliation of
the total resource with the data presented in Table 1 supra.
It will be seen from the data presented that a major
proportion of the standing British beech resource
is in the semi-mature and mature age classes,
potentially suitable for timber harvest, having
been established prior to the Second World War.
This includes a significant amount of over-mature
beech, established during the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries on private estates, which
is retained mainly for landscape amenity and
conservation purposes and is unlikely to become
available for harvest under current market
conditions. A number of the finer mature stands
of beech timber, valuable as potential sources of
selected reproductive material, were destroyed
or seriously damaged during the major storms of
late 198 and 1990 that affected parts of southern
England. This included the very famous stands
at Slindon Park and West Dean in Sussex, which
are currently in the thicket regeneration phase.
Some valuable timber stands also suffered drought
damage following the dry summers of 19 5 – 19 6.
Nonetheless there remain a number of very fine
stands of mature beech in Britain, most within the
natural range in the Chilterns and Cotswolds, but
with a scatter of examples elsewhere. Fine beech
sawlog timber harvested in Britain finds markets
for furniture-making and decorative joinery, but
a major proportion of the total harvested volume
is used for firewood.
The remainder of the standing beech resource in
Britain is found in younger plantations on both
public and private forest lands, established during
the mid-twentieth century, often with a view to
rotational timber harvest. These stands have, on
the whole, been subject to a fairly low intensity of
thinning/management due to low market prices
for beech timber at present, coupled with grey
squirrel damage. Improved fuelwood markets over
the past two years have encouraged early thinnings
in young beech stands, which should enhance final
crops. Very little new beech woodland has been
created for forestry purposes over the last 40 years,
but the species has continued to find favour as an
element within landscape and amenity planting.
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