Temperate Broadleaf Woodland

• Ecological features - temperate broadleaf woodland 


  • No major temperature extremes
  • Water available all year
  • Deep and fertile soil
  • Tree canopy layer only available from spring until autumn
  • Lack of available food during winter
• Importance - temperate broadleaf woodland


  • High biodiversity = high ecological stability (no dominant species so a change will have a relatively small impact in the overall community)
  • Woodland resources - wood for construction, fencing, tools, carts, fuel, charcoal
  • Recreation - walking, camping, cycling, picnics
  • Hydrological cycle - interception, evapotranspiration, and the control of water in the soil
  • Carbon sequestration - plants with woody tissue build up stores of carbon so woodlands are large reservoirs of stored carbon.
• Threats - temperate broadleaf woodland

  • Woodland clearance - wood cleared for farmland, plantations of single or non-indigenous species, urbanisation, infrastructure, mineral extraction
  • Habitat fragmentation - woodland clearance leaves remaining areas isolated from each other. Separate fragments are vulnerable to extinction.
• Conservation efforts - temperate broadleaf woodland 


  • Historical methods - areas with no interference, coppiced woodland, pollarding
  • Modern methods - monoculture plantations, new woodland around field margins
  • Conservation management - coppicing to create habitats, creating clearings, planting mixed species woodlands
  • Legal protection of ancient woodlands
  • Designated protected areas
  • Planting of new woodlands