Statement on the management of Wappenbury Wood
1. The Trust is very sorry to hear that some
visitors don't like the work we've been doing at Wappenbury Woods
this winter. We would be very happy to meet with individuals, to
look at the work, discuss his concerns and explain why the Trust is
managing these woodlands for conservation and the benefit of all
plant and animals on site.
2. The Trust's management of
Wappenbury over the last 10 years or so has greatly benefited
wildlife here - and we have records to show this. If there are
particular issues or proposals that emerge from discussions with
individuals or anyone else, we will happily consider them as part
of the woodland management plan.
3. The work programme is part
of a long-established coppicing programme which has been
demonstrated to benefit a wide range of wildlife in these very
special woods - and we have monitoring data which shows that the
numbers of many rare and declining species have been increasing at
Wappenbury since the Trust took over - including the
silver-washed fritillary, wood white and bluebells and primroses -
contrary to their plight elsewhere.
4. Coppicing is a traditional
way of managing woodlands - and has been practised in British
woodlands for hundreds if not thousands of years. It involves
the smaller trees being cut and then allowed to re-grow on a cycle
of 15 to 25 years. It benefits wildlife by providing ideal
conditions for a range of plants and animals; some of which need
the light and open stages, others requiring shade.
5. Less than 5% of the
woodland is coppiced in any one year - so the vast majority of the
site is undisturbed and more than 30% of the wood is being left as
'non-intervention' woodland.
6.
An already existing deeply rutted and damaged track has been
re-surfaced by a contractor as part of the work this year.
The track is not new - the Trust has simply surfaced and repaired
the existing "ride" or access track. This involved the use of
recycled road planings to provide a sustainable route along which
surplus woodland produce can be extracted in future. Wood -
for uses like fuel and furniture making - can now be removed in a
sustainable way without damaging the woodland soil and ground
flora.
7. We agree that in the short
term the track will look new and obvious in this environment.
However, it will quickly blend into its surroundings and be
colonised by vegetation - especially once it has been used and
leaves have fallen next autumn. The dark colour of the
material will help with this process and the surface is far
preferable to the deeply rutted and damaged track we've now
repaired. In a short space of time it will become indistinguishable
from the much loved and used routes which already criss-cross the
area.
8. Unfortunately and
regrettably the recycled material supplied for the track does have
a small quantity of "litter" contained within it. Litter is not
something we would want to introduce to our nature reserve and we
are keen to remove it as soon as possible. In fact our staff
and volunteers spend a great deal of time each year picking up
litter from our reserves and the wider countryside where it is
dropped by others.
9.
The Trust has used recycled materials for the surfacing and repairs
in order to avoid using new aggregate from a quarry. The mining of
new aggregates e.g. granite, or limestone which are known as
"virgin materials" have major impacts on the environment through
increased use of fossil fuels in their excavation, as well as the
damage to the local landscape. The recycling and re-use of
materials from the demolition of roads and buildings has a number
of positive benefits. The material would otherwise be sent to
landfill and the costs (both environmentally through fossil fuels
and financially) are cheaper than using virgin aggregates. The
government are keen to see industry making the most of recycled
materials and the Trust is keen to support initiatives like that
which hold multiple benefits to the environment.
10. Allegations have been
made that the recycled planings brought onto site by our contractor
contain asbestos. The Trust takes these allegations extremely
seriously and the independent tests undertaken so far have been
negative.
11. However we are hugely
concerned, horrified and appalled at the possibility that asbestos
may be present. We intend to do the right thing and have
already commissioned a full independent investigation to assess
whether asbestos is actually present or not. The Trust will
await the findings of the investigation / assessment, before
deciding how to deal with the situation. However, both the
Trust and our suppliers / contractors will not rest until this
matter is satisfactorily resolved.
12.
The Trust is working closely with the Environment Agency and
Warwick District Council's Environmental Health teams to ensure
that everything is done in line with best practice and legislation
- and that the situation is resolved as soon as possible. Whilst
the advice we've received so far indicates that there is no risk to
people or wildlife, until we have a full risk assessment we have
taken the decision to temporarily suspend access to the wood as a
precautionary measure. We apologise for any inconvenience
caused but expect this only be necessary for a very short period of
time.
13. Warwickshire Wildlife
Trust is undertaking a huge amount of vital conservation work on
its 56 nature reserves throughout Warwickshire, Coventry and
Soilhull. The woods at Wappenbury and in the Princethorpe
area represent the most extensive stands of ancient woodland in
Warwickshire - and they're really precious as the last remnants of
the forests and woods that once covered large parts of the county -
they're important for people, fuel, timber, their history and
heritage - and especially their wildlife value. The woods are
getting even better through the Trust's management.
14.
We're working hard to secure the long term future for these 'jewels
in the crown' of Warwickshire's countryside. It's really important
that we create a living landscape across the whole area - a joined
up network of woodland at the heart of England which is both
friendly for wildlife and people.