Woodland upgrade project

Thursday 2nd May

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Here is an exciting update from Gilles Sauvestre, Senior Forestry Consultant:
"We’re delighted to share the news that Northaw Great Wood SSSI unit 2 has been upgraded by Natural England from 'Unfavourable' - recovering to 'Favourable'! This change in condition is testament to the fantastic work of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in managing their woodland sites, which we at Maydencroft Limited are proud to support.
Since becoming WHBC’s Forestry Consultant in 2016, Maydencroft Limited has worked in close partnership with the Council to deliver woodland management advice, planning, supervision and works across all of its publicly accessible woodland sites. Northaw Great Wood is the largest of these sites, comprising over 120ha of extraordinarily valuable remnant historic wood pasture and coppice with standards areas.
Over the past year, works to improve the woodland have included management of invasive Rhododendron and dense stands of holly, restoration of lapsed hornbeam coppice and pollards, woodland rides enhancement and management, and installation of deer fencing to aid establishment of coppice re-growth and natural regeneration. Much of this work was funded through Countryside Stewardship High Tier revenue and capital grants which were managed by Maydencroft Limited.
But there is still much work to be done, and many challenges to face! Invasive species will continue to need management, including bracken control to prevent suppression of valuable lowland heath habitats. There is more lapsed coppice to bring back into rotation including some very old and ecologically-rich sweet chestnut, alongside continued deer management to enable trees, shrubs and coppice to regenerate naturally without the need for protection, while keeping the woodland attractive and safe for the public.
As always, it is these challenges that make our work so interesting, and the upgrade of this SSSI unit condition a much welcomed reward.
All our thanks to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council for their trust and the pleasant and constructive work relationship and a special thank you to David Lee and Stuart Grove for their professionalism and extensive knowledge, the quality of their work during the coppicing operation, and for their tenacity in the rhododendron jungle.

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