Open landscapes with ancient/old trees habitat audit

This audit includes the following habitats: deer parks, wood pasture, other areas of unimproved grassland with scattered old trees (usually oak). Old, mostly 19th century landscaped parklands are also included where these appear to have been superimposed on former wood pasture or deer parks. These habitats are derived from medieval forests, wooded commons, parks and pastures with trees in them. Subsequently, some had a designed landscape superimposed; usually during the 19th century. Defunct wood pasture is found where the traditional management of stock grazing is no longer practiced and where the trees are no longer pollarded to provide timber or fodder. They may include a landscape history of commoners' rights and forest rights. A typical example is Epping Forest. Parklands are the typical open landscapes with scattered trees. They may include a history of having been enclosed and managed as deer parks, Royal hunting grounds or formal public and private open landscapes.

The major threat to open landscapes with ancient/old trees is the cessation of traditional management, particularly grazing. Most sites in London are no longer managed in this way although deer still graze Richmond Park and Bushy Park. The remainder of this habitat in London is maintained by mowing, which is a much less sympathetic management regime. In addition to the lack of grazing, many mature parkland trees are managed inappropriately from a nature conservation point of view, by the removal dead and decaying limbs and the clearance of fallen or standing dead wood.

Open landscapes with ancient/old trees are, by definition, habitats with a well-established presence in the landscape. This is itself a threat to their survival as it is often forgotten that they are essentially human-created landscapes that need to be maintained by human intervention. New generations of trees need to be planted (or naturally regenerating saplings protected from mowing or grazing) as long-term replacements for extant mature specimens. Poor management of these sites is linked with a poor understanding of their nature conservation value and a concern for public safety. There is a widespread and mistaken belief that dead wood is bad for the tree and a public hazard.

A less obvious threat, but one which may adversely affect the diversity of sensitive species such as lichens and fungi living on the mature trees, is air pollution. It is well known that many lichen species are sensitive to air pollution and their loss, or failure to re-establish themselves, may have unforeseen consequences for a wider range of species which may be dependent upon the lichen communities.

Most of the resource in London lies within areas of protected open space. However, this does not necessarily ensure effective nature conservation management, as the protection is aimed mainly at maintaining the recreational and aesthetic attributes of habitat. However, under the auspices of the Veteran Trees Initiative, better management of ancient and old trees for nature conservation is being promoted. A number of sites around London provide examples of successful re-introduction of pollarding, planting of replacement trees, and resumption of grazing management. These techniques could be readily translated to sites within London.
The old parklands in London are among the most popular places visited by Londoners and tourists alike. Most informal recreational activity is compatible with maintaining the nature conservation of these sites and, therefore, there are opportunities for raising awareness about park management that integrates biodiversity conservation, landscape maintenance and recreational demand. Awareness-raising programmes could focus on the conservation work for some high-profile species such as the stag beetle, bats and woodpeckers.