Habitat management
Traditional coppice management is important within the limewoods. Coppicing is the regular cutting of trees back to their stumps to provide a steady supply of poles and firewood. Sudden changes in light levels promote good displays of spring flowers. This activity is good for the woods as it encourages a wide age range of trees and benefits a variety of plant and animal species. For example, plants such as wood anemone, woodruff, yellow archangel and rare butterflies such as the brown hairstreak, white admiral and speckled wood are flourishing due to coppice management and the creation of open, sunny routes.
Management of woodland rides is also important to ensure they stay open and continue to provide suitable habitats for plants and invertebrates. Within Forestry Commission woodlands there is an ongoing programme of woodland ride mowing. The mowing takes place during two periods of the year: late summer for rides with botanical interest (a hay-meadow treatment) or winter for rides with invertebrate interest. There are management plans in place for the NNR and other SSSI limewoods such as Gosling Corner Wood to ensure appropriate management takes place to a schedule agreed with Natural England.
Some of the limewoods, or parts of them, were clear-felled in the 20th Century and replanted with conifer plantations. 500 hectares of these plantations on ancient woodland sites are being restored back to native woodland habitat by the Forestry Commission. This will provide favourable habitat for ancient woodland plant species and animals to colonise and expand their range.
