Temperate broadleaf woodlands

• Ecological features:

  • no major temperature extremes
  • no pronounced dry season
  • soil is deep and fertile
  • tree canopy present from spring to autumn
  • lack of available food in winter leads to hibernation or migration or storing food
• Importance:

  • high biodiversity - so higher ecological stability
  • woodland resources - fencing, wood fuel, building construction
  • recreation
  • hydrological cycle - interception, evapotranspiration
  • carbon sequestration
• Threats:

  • woodland clearance - for farmland, urban developments, mineral extraction
  • habitat fragmentation
• Conservation efforts:

  • Woodland management
  • historic - coppiced, pollarding,
  • modern - monoculture plantation, community forests
  • conservation management - coppicing, creation of clearings, planting a variety of species
  • legal protection of ancient woodlands
  • designated protected areas - Sherwood Forest NNR
  • planting new woodland - mix of native trees