Section 4 - Technical guidance - Trees, Wood Pasture, Parkland; Woodland and Orchards
| Feature | Feature detail | Unit of measurement |
|---|---|---|
| T01 - Ancient tree | In-field Boundary |
number |
| T02 - Mature/over mature tree | In-field Boundary |
number |
| T03 -Wood pasture and parkland - BAP habitat | hectare | |
| T04 - Broadleaved plantation | Ancient woodland site (AWS) Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T05 - Conifer plantation | AWS Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T06 - Mixed plantation | AWS Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T07 - Landmark woodland | Clump Shelterbelt |
hectare |
| T08 - Semi-natural woodland | AWS Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T09 - Lowland beech and yew - BAP habitat | AWS | hectare |
| T10 - Lowland mixed deciduous woodland | AWS | hectare |
| T11 - Upland mixed ash - BAP habitat | AWS Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T12 - Upland oak - BAP habitat | AWS Gill woodland |
hectare |
| T13 - Wet woodland - BAP habitat | AWS | hectare |
| T14 - Bush and commercial orchards | hectare | |
| T15 - Traditional orchards | hectare | |
See also:
|
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Trees
Feature detail
In-field: Isolated individuals or small groups of trees.
Boundary: Trees on a field boundary. (Does not include trees on boundary of a woodland.)
Mapping requirements for T01-T03
These features do not need to be shown on your FER/FEP map (you will have to mark in-field trees and boundary trees according to FER definitions). On the Environmental Features Data Sheet (part 2) you will need to record the number of boundary trees against the allocated boundary number and the number of in-field trees against the field parcel number.
T01 - Ancient trees
Trees that are or look, old relative to others of the same species. Characteristics include:
- very large girth for the species (details of girth sizes available on the FEP website www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/es).
- hollow or hollowing trunk.
- a large quantity of dead wood in the canopy.
Feature detail
- In-field
- Boundary
Condition assessment
- The tree is protected from cultivation, crop growing, mechanical compaction and ditching or the application of pesticides or herbicides to a width of 15 times the diameter (at breast height) of the trunk.
- The tree has no signs of recent* livestock damage including stock rubbing against the tree, bark stripping and soil compaction to a width of 15 times the diameter (at breast height) of the trunk.
- No recent* large wounds (more than 20 centimetres wide or long) resulting from severance of limbs, unless required for Health and Safety reasons.
*The term 'recent' in this context means less than five years.
T02 - Mature and over-mature trees
Large, well established trees, including old trees that do not have the characteristics of ancient trees.
Feature detail
- In-field
- Boundary
Condition assessment
- The tree is protected from cultivation, crop growing, mechanical compaction and ditching or the application of pesticides or herbicides for the width of the canopy.
- The tree has no signs of recent* livestock damage including stock rubbing against the tree, bark stripping and soil compaction for the width of the canopy.
- No recent* large wounds (more than 20 centimetres wide or long) resulting from severance of limbs, unless required for Health and Safety reasons.
*The term 'recent' in this context means less than five years.
Wood Pasture and Parkland
T03 - Wood pasture and parkland - BAP habitat
- Wood pasture is a vegetation structure rather than a particular plant community.
- Typically this structure consists of large, open-grown or high forest trees (often pollards) at various densities, in a matrix of grazed grassland, heathland and/or woodland floras.
- This feature includes:
- Wood pasture and parkland derived from medieval forests and embankments, wooded commons, parks and pastures with trees.
- Land that has been converted to arable, forestry or amenity, but where ancient trees are still present.
Notes
- Many wood pasture sites may be part of an historic designed landscape. If there is evidence of this from old maps or estate records, record 'H14 - Designed landscape' (page 90) here also.
- Parklands with 19th century origins or later that do not contain trees derived from an earlier landscape should only be recorded as 'H14 - Designed Landscape' (page 90).
- Collections of in-field trees that are remnant wood pasture, should be recorded as 'T03 - Wood pasture and parkland' (page 103), rather than 'T01 - Ancient trees' or 'T02 - Mature and over-mature trees'.
- This feature does not include:
- Upland, sheep grazed, closed-canopy woodland should be recorded as a type of woodland (pages 106-109).
Condition assessment
- Trees should have a wide age range, there should be some young trees and saplings present.
- The balance between the trees, scrub and grassland should be typical of wood pasture in the local area, there should be minimal bare earth and no evidence of poaching by livestock.
- Native species must be dominant. Non-native and invasive species should account for less than 10% of the vegetation cover.
- Standing and fallen dead trees of over 20 centimetres diameter must be present.
Woodland
Notes
- Woodland is defined as vegetation dominated by trees more than five metres high when mature, forming a distinct although sometimes open canopy. This includes young or newly planted woodland.
See also:
- Guidance on completing section 3: Supplementary table on woodland parcels (page 38); 'V04 - Scrub' (page 96); 'V05 - Scrub of high environmental value' (page 96); Features of historic interest, either related to woodland use, e.g. sawpits, charcoal hearths, woodbanks or non-woodland use, e.g. ridge and furrow, old buildings, historic routeways (pages 81-91).
There are three stages to deciding which woodland type you have.
- First, decide if the woodland is:
- Plantation (T04 - T06)
- Landmark (T07)
- Semi-natural (T08)
- Fill in the 'feature detail' if the woodland matches either of the feature detail descriptions.
- If you have sufficient expertise categorise the woodland according to BAP habitat types (T09-T13).
Note
Use the following characteristics to help identify plantations:
- Single species of same age is the dominant component.
- Mixed species with a consistent planting pattern across the site.
- Original planting lines, or remains of planting lines can be seen.
- BAP woodlands can be plantation woodlands.
Feature detail
Ancient woodland sites: Ancient woodland sites are those where the land has continuously been woodland since accurate mapping began around 1600s. English Nature's Ancient Woodland Inventory, old maps and estate records can provide evidence for this. Also ancient woodlands of over two hectares in size will be shown on your Environmental Information map. However, this information is not always available and therefore the site may count as ancient woodland if the woodland shows two or more of the following:
- Sinuous, irregular boundaries that may be along Parish boundaries.
- Internal and external ditches or boundary banks with old coppice stools or pollards.
- Ancient trees within the woodland.
- Some of the following indicator species in the ground flora:
| Indicator species | ||
|---|---|---|
| Barren strawberry | Pignut | Sweet woodruff |
| Bluebell | Primrose | Wood-sorrel |
| Common cow-wheat | Ramsons | Wood speedwell |
| Dog's mercury | Sanicle | Wood spurge |
| Early dog-violet | Tutsan | Yellow pimpernel |
| Herb-Paris | Wood anemone | |
Clump: a small landmark woodland with rounded edges.
Gill woodland: upland woods in steep valleys, usually on or adjacent to moorland.
Shelterbelt: a woodland planted for shelter, usually with straight edges and often elongated.
T04 - Broadleaved plantation
Obviously planted woodland (including arboreta) with 10% or less conifer in the canopy.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T05 - Conifer plantation
Obviously planted woodland (including arboreta) with 10% or less broadleaved trees in the canopy.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T06 - Mixed plantation
Obviously planted woodland (including arboreta) with 10% to 90% of both broadleaved and conifer trees in the canopy. The percentages of the two types should be noted in the notes column.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T07 - Landmark woodland
A designed and planted woodland, visually prominent in the landscape (often located on promontories or hillsides) including copses, shelter belts and shaped woodland features characteristic of the local area.
Feature detail
- Clump
- Shelterbelt
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T08 - Semi-natural woodland
- Semi-natural woodland comprises all stands which do not obviously originate from planting.
- Woodland with semi-natural and planted trees should be classified as semi-natural if the planted trees account for less than 20% of the canopy composition, but as plantation if more than 20% is planted.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
Woodland - BAP habitats
Only provide this information if you have sufficient expertise to correctly identify the BAP habitat.
T09 - Lowland beech and yew woodland - BAP habitat
This habitat includes a variety of beech woodlands on both acidic and calcareous soils, Yew may be present and may dominate on drier calcareous sites. Confined to southern England.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T10 - Lowland mixed deciduous woodland - BAP habitat
Any semi-natural woodland in the lowlands that is not either 'T09 - Lowland beech and yew woodland - BAP habitat' or 'T13 - Wet woodland - BAP habitat'.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
Condition assessment
See paged 110.
T11 - Upland mixed ash woodland - BAP habitat
Woods on base-rich soils in the north and west. Usually, Ash is a major species, although locally oaks, birches, elms, small-leaved lime and even hazel may be the most abundant species.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T12 - Upland oak woodland - BAP habitat
Oak usually dominates (usually sessile oak), although birch is usually present in the canopy and can be the dominant species. Holly, rowan and hazel vary as the main understorey species.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
- Gill woodland
Condition assessment
See page 110.
T13 - Wet woodland - BAP habitat
Woodland on poorly drained or seasonally wet soils. Alder, birches and willows usually dominate. Wet woods frequently occur in a mosaic with other woodland key habitat types (e.g. with upland mixed ash or oak woods) and with open wetland habitats such as fens. Can occur in both upland and lowland situations.
Feature detail
- Ancient woodland site
Condition assessment
See page 110.
Condition assessment for T05 and T07
- Area of trees with complete canopy cover.
- The woodland must be free from recent* damage by stock or wild mammals.
- No evidence of machinery storage, signage, or other inappropriate management.
Condition assessment for T04, T06, T08-T13
- Native species are dominant. Non-native and invasive species account for less than 10% of the vegetation cover.
- A diverse age and height structure.
- Free from recent* damage from stock or wild mammals - there should be evidence of tree regeneration e.g. seedlings, saplings and young trees.
- Standing and fallen dead trees of over 20 centimetres diameter are present.
- The area is protected from damage by agricultural and other adjacent operations.
*The term 'recent' in this context means less than five years.
Orchards
Note
Check whether orchards are a feature of the local landscape. Check current and old maps for the presence of traditional orchards.
T14 - Bush and commercial orchards
- A site with small form, closely spaced fruit trees. The vegetation around the base of the trees is usually controlled by herbicide and the field layer is generally not grazed by livestock.
Notes
- This feature should only be recorded in part 2 of the FEP when recording a historic environment and landscape feature (H01-H15), which lies either on or adjacent to the feature.
- Condition assessment is not required.
You will need to annotate your map with the above code wherever this feature occurs but you do not need to record the feature in part 2 of the FEP.
T15 - Traditional orchards
- Traditional orchards are characterised by the presence either of standard fruit trees, or of other forms (bush or half-standards) with trunk circumferences at the tree base, of greater than one metre and by continuous or near continuous grass cover on the orchard floor.
Condition assessment
- Between 50 and 150 fruit or nut trees per hectare.
- Absence of scrub growing between or up the trees.
- At least 80% of the trees are free from livestock damage.
- Grass sward average height between five centimetres and 30 centimetres.
- Less than 5% cover of bare ground, injurious weeds or scrub.
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 3 March, 2005