The Woodland Education Centre - Woodland Project Phase 2 Survey Report

 

7. Two old hedgebanks on the project site (Plan) have also been repaired and rebuilt (Plate 4). At the same time, an area adjacent to the hedgebank in the centre of the project site, was deeply cultivated by the digger. This will be separately sampled in future surveys to see what effect, if any, this has on regeneration.

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Plate 4.
Repairing the Hedgebanks.

8. This second survey was conducted in May 1999, six months after initiation of the project. The same four representative regions identified intially have again been sampled separately in this survey, The methods used were the same as in the initial survey, with minor modifications.

9. Species diversity on the project site has increased by 42% since clearance of the Rhododendron. This increase has occurred very rapidly since less than a month had elapsed between completion of clearance and the initiation of this survey. The increase in species diversity is largely related to the increase in ambient light levels.

10. It could be argued that the increase in species diversity was merely a consequence of conducting the surveys at different times of year. (Species diversity naturally increases in the summer due to the appearance of annual plant species.) However, all the new species identified were perennials and all were seedlings, indicating that they had not previously been present.

11. Diversity increased more or less across the entire project site and had continued to increase in the pilot project area. This region now had more than double the number of species present in the newly cleared regions. A total of 37 species were identified on the project site.

 

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Woodland Project Phase 2
CONTENTS

Summary

Introduction

Methods

Results
General   Tree Species    Rhododendron   Seedlings  Mosses

Conclusions    References

List of Tables & Illustrations
Tables   Plates   Figures