Category: Unit 1

During our visits to the pine woods, we have spotted two birds, the crow, and the robin. The children were very excited to see the crow walking around next to our area. There are also a number of birds named by the National Trust which can be seen in our pine woods, as can be seen below.

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

The Carrion Crow is a very common British bird that is seen all year round and can be quite brave which explains why one approached our Forest School session! They are usually found on their own or in pairs. They like to eat carrion, insects, worms, seeds, fruit, eggs, and man-made scraps.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

The robin is another common bird and easily spotted due to its red breast. They like to eat worms, seeds, fruits, and invertebrates. Robins are found in woodland, hedgerows, parks, and gardens and can be seen all year round, despite their popularity at Christmas. Our children first noticed robins on our site in the spring.

Tree Creepers (Certhia familiaris)

The treecreeper is a very small bird that lives in trees in the UK. They like to eat mostly insects and spiders but will eat seeds in the winter when food is scarce. They can be identified by their speckly brown feathers on the top and white feathers below. They can be seen all year round, mostly on the trunks of trees.

Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)

The nuthatch looks like a small woodpecker as it is blue/grey above and white and chestnut underneath. It also has a black stripe on its head. They like to eat insects, hazelnuts, acorns, and other nuts and seeds. They can be seen all year round in mature woodlands.

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

The great spotted woodpecker can be identified through its distinctive colourings and markings. It spends a lot of time on tree trunks and branches and often hides from people. Often the best way to find them is by listening to their “drumming” sound in the spring. They like to eat insects, nuts, and seeds and will often come to peanut feeders. The RSPB state that these birds are more commonly seen in broadleaved woodlands bt that mature conifers can also support them. They can be found all year round.

The following birds are also sometimes seen:

Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

The redpoll is not as common as the birds named above. It does not breed in the UK but will visit in the winter. It can be identified through it’s streaky brown above and white below with black streaks. It also has two white lines on its folded wing. It likes to eat seeds from birch, alder and spruce as well as insects. The birds arrive in the East of the UK in the winter then may move West to find food so can be found from January to April.

Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

The siskin is a type of finch with a forked tail and a streaky yellow-green body. It likes to eat seeds from conifers, alders, and birch as well as insects. Siskins can be seen in the tops of trees in the breeding season and are seen across the UK in the winter.

Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

The Crossbill is another type of finch which is bigger than the Siskin. Its name comes from its beak which is crossed over at the tips to help it take seeds from pinecones. The males are brick red as in the photo above but the females are a greenish-brown colour. The Crossbill can be seen all year round.

References

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby/features/wildlife-at-formby

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/

In my previous post, I talked about the vertical ecological structures of British woodlands. Unlike the vertical structures, horizontal structures are not as easily split into sections. As the name suggests, the horizontal structure of woodland is how the trees are laid out horizontally and the amount of spacing between each one. This is extremely important for biodiversity as different species of animals and plants have different requirements from their habitats. Plants all need different amounts of light and so some will flourish in clear spaces whereas some will be happier under the shelter of a tree. Animals also depend on different levels of shelter and eat plants with differing requirements. The horizontal structure of a woodland, therefore, is a determining factor in the distribution of both plants and animals.

The horizontal structure of woodland can be affected by a number of different factors, both natural and man-made. Natural influences on the spacing of trees include changes in weather, pests, tree diseases, and more permanent factors such as waterways, rocks, and soils. A good example of this can be seen in the woods that I work in which are located behind some sand dunes on the Formby coast. The high winds coming from the open sea have a huge impact on the layout of the trees, as does the sandy soil.

Man-made influences are much more common in managed woodlands. In such places, the horizontal structure is closely managed to encourage biodiversity. In the picture below you can see that plantation woodlands are usually evenly spaced but often contain openings to encourage the biodiversity of plants and animals.

Wild woodlands contain a lot of overlapping trees and can be packed very closely together. Often management will occur in these woods too to create openings by coppicing or clear felling.

In a previous post, I talked about the woodland management plan for the Formby Pinewoods. This aims to sustainably manage the woodlands and has a number of aims including:

• creating a healthy age profile of the trees

• maintaining a focus on pine species to provide food for red squirrels and to maintain the woodland character

• maintaining indigenous mixed broadleaf up to and no more than 10% of the woods

• maintaining dead wood where this is possible

• working towards a mosaic of woodland structures

• providing habitats for certain priority species

• ensuring an economic return where possible

This management plan is being carried out by the various landowners to ensure that the pinewoods remain a diverse and healthy woodland. However, it is also important to involve our Forest School learners in woodland management by giving them a sense of responsibility and ownership of the site which we use for our sessions. This ensures that we have a healthy relationship with the woodland and ensures that we can use it for years to come.

The group of children who I take to the woods are currently aged between 2 and 3 years old. They already have empathy for nature and for animals in particular. I am working on instilling a sense of respect for the woods and the species that live there by helping the children to understand the effect we can have while we are there. The children often look for the red squirrels on our trips to the woods and we can, therefore, talk about how we are changing their home with our activities. The children know that we must pick up any litter we create through our activities, including playdough and string. We often collect pine cones to take back to the nursery and have talked about how they are the squirrel’s main source of food. Many of the children will now put the pine cones back down after observing them “for the squirrels to eat.” These steps are a great start to teaching the children how to manage the woods and we are now starting to look at identifying which species of plants, fungi, and animals we can see while we are there.

As the children get older they will be able to use these skills to take part in national surveys such as bird counts and butterfly counts. Older children could also look after the environment by litter picking (using specialist equipment and supervision) or using tools to help cut back overgrowth which is taking over the pathways.

Links

FSPWE 4.1 The sustainability of current and historic woodland management techniques in Formby Pinewoods

Woodlands can be split into two main categories, broadleaved (deciduous) and coniferous. These can then be further broken down into categories depending on which trees and species make up the majority of the ecosystem. Here I am going to look at the major differences between broad-leaved and coniferous woodlands in terms of structure and biodiversity.

Purpose

Broadleaved woodlands are often thought of as the natural British woodlands and this is often the case as most ancient woodlands in this country consist of broadleaf species. However, many broadleaved woodlands are now man-made and therefore heavily managed. Coniferous woodlands are often purpose planted for commercial reasons which means they are often made up of a low number of species, to ensure profit. Any competing plants are often removed before they establish themselves, leading to low levels of biodiversity.

Flora

As the name suggests, Coniferous woodlands are made up mostly of conifers such as firs, yews, spruces, pines, and cedars. These trees have needle-like leaves and reproduce using seeds inside pine cones. The trees are often packed very tightly which stops light from reaching the lower levels of the woodlands and means that the ground and field layers are usually not present. Flowering plants are not common here as they need high levels of light to survive. The soil is often very acidic and sandy which means that many species are not adapted to survive here. The age of the trees in a coniferous woodland is often quite uniform as they have been planted all at the same time for a purpose. However, depending on the management of the woodlands, some areas will have been felled and therefore contain younger trees. Leaf litter in a coniferous woodland is predominantly made up of fallen pine needles.

Broadleaved woodlands are made up of a wide range of trees, the most common being oaks, beeches, ashes, and birches. As the name suggests, the leaves are commonly flat and broadleaved and seeds are usually produced from flowers and fruits in different forms. As the trees are often more spaced out, clearer layers can be identified and more species can be found in the ground layer, field layer, and understory. If the broadleaved woodlands are naturally occurring, the age of the trees can vary a lot. Leaf litter in a broadleaved woodland can vary greatly depending on which species are present. 

Fauna

Due to the low levels of flora diversity in coniferous woodlands, there are also low levels of fauna. The lack of a field layer can mean that there is not enough food to support many ground-dwelling animals. Some insects and birds can survive though, as can many animals who are adapted to eating pine cones such as squirrels. The opposite is true in a broadleaved woodland. Oak woodlands are thought to be the most biodiverse of all and have been reported to support around 423 species of invertebrates as well as mammals such as deer, badgers, and bats.

References

http://learningintheleaves.co.uk/woodland-ecological-structures

http://www.thenewforestguide.co.uk/management/woodland-layers

http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/woodland_manage

http://learningintheleaves.co.uk/coniferousbroad-leaves-woodlands

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/

DK “What’s that tree?” Published 2013

Mushrooms are an integral part of a healthy woodland. The soil is interlaced with many types of fungi but it is not until Autumn time that many of them sprout their mushrooms due to the moist conditions that they require to feed and grow.  Mushrooms feed on the dead matter such as dead leaves and wood which are common on woodland floors. They recycle the nutrients in this detritus and return them to the soil in a format that other trees and plants can easily access. Their job is then to release spores into the air to help spread the fungi even further.

As Autumn is the best time to see mushrooms in the woods, I took a trip to my local pinewoods and went on some mushroom hunting. I identified four mushrooms in the time I spent there but I’m sure a longer trip would have produced even more!

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

This is the famous “fairyland” mushroom. It has a bright red cap with white spots and gills and grows among pine, birch and spruce woodland. It is therefore common in the Formby Pinewoods! Fly Agaric is well known as a poisonous, hallucinogenic mushroom and was historically used as an insecticide (hence the name).

Firerug Inkcap (Coprinus atramentarius)

The Inkcap was all over the forest floor during my visit. It was identified through bell-shaped brown cap with a darker center. They often grow on dead wood and are very widespread in the UK.

Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricularia-judae)

This Jelly Ear Fungus was found on a standing piece of deadwood. It had a brown/red colour and had a velvety texture. This mushroom is very popular in Chinese food and used to be used for medicine too. However, it is unwise to eat it raw if you can get past its strange texture.

Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes)

These mushrooms were found on a collapsed dead bit of wood. They are a common sight in the winter months and grow in clusters on decaying wood. They can be identified by their orange/brown caps with a slimy appearance when wet. These mushrooms are often used in food but like most mushrooms, they need to be cooked.

References

https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/habitats-and-ecology/ecology/fungi-95/

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/fly-agaric/

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinellus-domesticus.php

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/jelly-ear/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/fungi/velvet-shank

The Sefton Coast Woodlands were originally planted at the beginning of the 20th Century. The first plantations were in Formby in 1784 and this developed into the woods we know now, spanning 420 hectares. The woods spread from Formby to Southport and are split into many compartments, each with a different owner. Historically this has caused a lack of management due to no common long term vision. As many of the trees were planted at the same time, they were becoming mature together causing a lack of biodiversity. The spacing between the trees was also too small, meaning that the canopy was too thick to allow light to develop the lower layers of the woods. One of the main reasons for the plantation of the pine woods, as well as to stabilise the sand dunes, was to sell timber and make a profit. This meant that during the second world war, large areas were felled without any replantation.

Thankfully in 2003 a document was published called “The Working Plan for the Sefton Coast Woodlands”. This 20-year plan was created by the landowners coming together to decide how to best manage the woodlands sustainably. The key issues are no longer commercial but are based on what is best for the woodlands themselves.

The document goes into depth about how to tackle a number of aims:

1. Creating a “healthy” age profile

The aim is to diversify the ages of the trees in the woods. As mentioned above, many of the trees were planted at around the same time over 100 years ago. In the 20 year plan, it is suggested that 90% of the woodlands are split into three categories based on their age, as shown in the chart below. The final 10% will either be left to mature into “character” woodlands or be left bare as on the sand dunes. By creating a healthier age profile, the woods will be much more biodiverse in terms of plants and animals.

2. Maintaining a focus on pine species to provide food for red squirrels and to maintain the woodland character

The majority of the pine woods are made up of Scots Pine and Corsican Pine trees which provide the ideal habitat for our population of Red Squirrels. As this is one of the few refuges left in the UK for Red Squirrels, it is important to maintain their food source which is largely made up of pine cones. The plan aims to increase the percentage of Scots Pine to 30-40% as the cones are dropped earlier in the season which gives the squirrels a bigger source of food in the winter.

3. Maintaining indigenous mixed broadleaf up to and no more than 10% of the woods

The broadleaf trees in the woods provide diversity, enabling more species to live in the woods by providing food and shelter. In particular, the sycamore tree provides an extra food source for the squirrels in the spring months. However, an excess of broadleaf trees may enable the grey squirrel to take up a foothold which can have a significant impact on the red squirrel population. This means that broadleaf trees need managing so that they take up less than 10% of the woodland. This is carried out using mainly coppicing, especially for elm trees and sycamore.

4. Maintaining dead wood where this is possible

Dead wood is an important part of a woodland ecosystem as it provides a habitat for different types of fungi and invertebrates. It also helps to support the bird and bat populations. The plan aims to maintain dead wood in areas that are isolated from public access. This is mostly for health and safety reasons but also takes into account that many people visit the woods for its beauty and dead wood may be unsightly.

5. Working towards a mosaic of woodland structures

As mentioned above, commercial interests have historically been very important in the Sefton pinewoods and the most profitable woods are made up of trees of uniform age and composition. This plan moves away from the money-making aspects of the woods and encourages stands to be mixed in age and species to promote biodiversity. This means an end to felling areas of the woods and then replanting them. Instead, trees will be taken out around existing gaps in the canopy. Where there are gaps which are undergoing natural regeneration, more trees may be taken out to encourage this.

6. Providing habitats for certain priority species

As has already been mentioned, the Sefton pinewoods are one of the few squirrel refuges left in the country. They are also the home to a number of endangered birds and bats. This must be taken into account when planning the management techniques to be used. Many trees contain nesting boxes for birds and bats. The canopy must also be considered when thinning the woods as the red squirrels need mature trees to make canopy bridges so that they can travel through the woods. However, as some of the pine stands are under thinned, some thinning will be needed in certain areas.

7. Ensuring an economic return where possible

Whilst the woods move away from commercial interests in terms of management, many of the landowners will still need to make a living. The plan, therefore, takes this into account and tries to ensure that there is an economic return where possible.

References

https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/our-work/sefton-coastal-woodlands/

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby/features/red-squirrels-at-formby

A Working Plan for the Sefton Coast Woodlands, 2003-2023

The plants and trees in British Woodlands can be divided into different layers according to their height. The number of layers found can be affected by many things such as the local conditions and climate as well as the biodiversity found in the woods. They also differ greatly in different woodland types. More layers can be identified in deciduous woodlands than in their coniferous counterparts as the trees are less tightly packed. This means that more light can penetrate the canopy and reach the lower layers, making it easier for shrubs and plants to grow there. Here we will look at the four layers which are widely accepted to be visible in most deciduous woodlands, the ground layer, the field layer, the understory, and the canopy.

Ground Layer

The woodland floor is covered in biological detritus such as decaying leaves and wood. This provides a moist, often darker habitat for species like mosses, fungi, and ivy to grow. This is a very diverse area of the woodlands as it provides a home for a whole host of invertebrates such as springtails, woodlice, and millipedes among others.

Field Layer

The field or herb layer depends greatly on how much light can penetrate the upper layers which means it is not present in coniferous woodlands. It provides a home to a variety of ferns, herbs, grasses, and wildflowers such as bluebells, primroses, wood sorrel and wood anemones. This layer provides a great food source for insects and other animals.

Understory

The understory comes just below the canopy and is dominated by tree species which don’t need a lot of light such as hazel, hawthorn, and rowan. It also contains saplings of the trees which will eventually grow to make up the canopy. The understory is an important layer for small woodland birds who will often build their nests here.

Canopy

The tallest layer is the canopy which contains the most mature trees in the woodland. In this country, it is often dominated by native trees such as oak, ash, beech, and birch and provides nesting sites for bigger birds. The leaf distribution on the branches of these trees is the most important factor deciding how much light can reach the lower levels and therefore the biodiversity of the woodland.

In reality, woodlands can contain more or fewer vertical layers than these four, often including sublayers. Layers are not always separate as plants such as ivy and mosses can grow up tree trunks and branches in order to find more light. However, these four layers are a good starting point when attempting to identify the flora and fauna in British woodlands.

References

http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/wodland_manage/struct.htm

http://learningintheleaves.co.uk/woodland-ecological-structures

http://www.thenewforestguide.co.uk/management/woodland-layers/

Open University – Neighbourhood Nature Course