14th May 2011
Veteran Tree Conservation Management at Woollas Hall Farm
Woollas Hall Farm, Bredon Hill, Gloucestershire, comprises a diversity of landscapes and habitats, including many veteran ash trees. The veteran trees are of historic importance and are critically linked to the conservation of the violet click beetle (Limoniscus violaceus). In the UK this species has been recorded in only three locations: Windsor Forest in Berkshire, Dixton Wood in Gloucestershire and Bredon Hill. The violet click beetle is listed as endangered in the UK Red Data Book and the presence of this species has resulted in Bredon Hill being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The violet click beetle was first recorded at Bredon Hill in 1939.
Maintaining and improving the age structure of the trees in which the violet click beetle lives has been identified as crucial to the survival of the beetle. Treework Environmental Practice were commissioned by Haycock Associates on behalf of Mark Steele (Woollas Hall Farm) to carry out a Veteran Tree Survey of the ash trees and to provide Individual Tree Management Plans with tree work recommendations intended to support and enhance the longevity of the trees and the retention of maximum deadwood habitat.
The Survey also included recording of some standard fields from the Specialist Survey Method for Veteran Tree Assessment (SSM) as well as a Veteran Tree Condition Assessment that recorded threats to tree health and indications of structural faults using the Visual Tree Assessment Method (VTA). The Veteran Tree Management Plan for each tree was informed by a Tree Viability Assessment which evaluated tree vitality and the likelihood of the loss of the tree through either collapse or decline.
The data was collected into MyTrees (our Tree Management Database and GIS) in the field on tablet computers. The trees were plotted using GPS and laser onto MyTrees GIS.
The survey was carried out in the summer of 2010 and the first stage of the works recommended in the Individual Tree Management Plans was carried out in February 2011.
MyTrees has been installed at Woolas Hall Farm with the survey data and is being used implement and coordinate the management plans.
Mark and Caron Steele expressed that they were delighted that leading specialists, Haycock Associates, Treework Environmental Practice, Ted Green, and Natural England have supported them in their bid to enhance the SSSI and ensure the ecological continuity of the rare flora and fauna of Bredon Hill.
Treework Environmental Practice and Haycock Associates have worked jointly on a variety of projects. Haycock's specialist knowledge of soil and water issues has been a key strand to understanding stress on these trees, especially in areas likely to be compacted.
Media Contact
Luke Fay
Managing Director
Treework Environmental Practice
T: 0207 871 3003
Email: luke@treeworks.co.uk
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