Conserving the Cultural heritage of GB woods and forests

Forestry and our cultural heritage

Sunne Sweden

Tim Yarnell.Historic Environment Adviser Forestry Commission

Vienna Resolution 3.

Preserving and enhancing the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Sustainable Forest Management in Europe.

Identification of cultural interests in woods and forests.

Includes archaeology “In” and “of” woods, veteran trees and trees of cultural significance.

UKFS

Criteria for sustainable forest management :Evidence that :• important sites are clearly recorded

• archaeological sites are protected and damage is avoided

• cultural and historical character of countryside is taken into account when creating new woods and making changes to existing woods.

Cultural Heritage

“ works of people or the combined works of nature and people including archaeological sites and responses to these in art,literature and personal belief ”

adapted from UNESCO world heritage convention.

WHAT????

JUST A PILE OF STONES

• Often the only evidence about past societies

• Important part of national identity

• Useful educational and recreation resource

• An entry point to multi-benefit forestry

Woodland : Just a bunch of trees!!!

Historical Record

Past People Lived

Utilising Resources

Events and Association

1895 1947 1998

Woodland cover for England

Woodland cover for Scotland

1895 1947 1995

Woodland cover for Wales

1895 1947 1997

HISTORY

“Of the Woods…….

• Banks and enclosures• Charcoal Hearths• Bloomeries• Veteran trees• Pasture

and the land they occupy”

• Settlement• Field systems• Burial Sites• Pottery Kilns•Fortifications

What has been happening?

Dean survey*

Northants Woods

Sheffield Woods*

Herefordshire Woods

Sunart*

Thetford

Woodland Trust Woods

Leny Woods*

New Forest

Hanes y Goedwig*Story of the ForestPollen Studies

N Wales Project

Woodland cover for Wales

1895 1947 1997

1895 1947 1998

Woodland cover for England

PAWS

• Plantations on Ancient woodland Sites.

• Woodland that has been in existence since c1600 (national variation)

• A degree of subjectivity

CULTURAL ISSUES

• “Restoration”

• Perceptions

• Diversity

• History

MEDIEVAL FORESTS

Huntingdonshire

?Kesteven

Salcey

Rockingham

MEDIEVAL FORESTS

Rutland/Leighfield

Whittlewood

0 5

Kilometers

10Northants Forest District woods

Woodland c.1825

Boundary of medieval forests

0 5

Kilometers

10

IRON AGE/ROMAN ENCLOSURE EARTHWORKSRegional distribution

0 5

Kilometers

10

BARROWSRegional distribution

INFORMATION SOURCES

• Personal Knowledge

• Old Maps

• Sites and Monuments Record (note need for advice)

• Historic Landscape Characterisation

• Fieldwork

SALCEY FOREST, Northamptonshire

0 0.25

Kilometers

0.5

Keeper's Lodge site

Pond

World War 2Quarry

DitchWoodbank?IA enclosure?Early coppice system

Veteran Tree Recording

What have we learned ?

• There are no rules

• Each site on its merits

• Trees off forever not always the solution

• Setting of the woodland in historic landscape context is important

Why the subject is important now

• The amount of longer established woodland

• The last century of planting policy

• Major felling programmes for various reasons

• “New” policy direction.

Research Programme

Impacts of Forestry

Veteran Trees

Monitoring

Woodland History

Characterisation :The Historic landscape Characterisation

programme is well underway. This is already influencing individual applications and should be significant in developing forestry frameworks at a local and regional level.

. Forestry Frameworks: Historic environment

factors should feature in the preparation of these.

What has been happening?

Dean survey*

Northants Woods

Sheffield Woods*

Herefordshire Woods

Sunart*

Thetford

Woodland Trust Woods

Leny Woods*

New Forest

Hanes y Goedwig*Story of the ForestPollen Studies

N Wales Project

Historic Environment

“The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built,formed or influenced by human activities from earliest to more recent times”

“The historic environment is one of our greatest resources. It brings social economic and environmental benefits and affects everyone of us”