Changes in the ancient woodland: Restoring Holcot and Reynolds Woods (Part 3)

After years without active management, we are on a journey to restore Holcot and Reynolds Woods. Our 10-year management plan aligns with UK Forestry Standards, Natural England’s and the Woodland Trust’s guidelines, and has received approval from the Forestry Commission. Through our efforts, we aim to enhance the resilience of these woodlands against pests, diseases, and climate change while promoting biodiversity. Follow us on this journey…

If you haven’t already, read the first two instalments of the series here: Read part 1 Read part 2

Posted 1st April 2025

Spring arrived at Holcot and Reynolds Woods

After the false dawn of a few warm days a few weeks ago, followed by freezing nights and cold days (a fool’s spring?), we finally felt the arrival of spring in the woodland. The cold spell, lack of heavy rain and dry winds all helped to firm up the ground – making access into and around the woodland much easier.  The Hazel that we coppiced during the winter is springing back to life, with buds on the coppiced stools, accompanied by early Bluebells.

With the improved access, and with help from our dedicated volunteers, the coppiced timber was moved to rideside (beside the woodland track) for collection over the coming weeks.

Image: Our volunteers also did a great job of clearing the rides further into the woodland.

Early Hazel buds on coppiced stools, and early Bluebells

Early Hazel buds on coppiced stools at the end of March

Our volunteers and our Forest dog Brian taking a well-deserved break

Managing the impact of deer

Unfortunately, the Bluebells didn’t last long as they were quickly grazed by deer and we had to act fast to prevent the new Hazel growth also being devoured. We had already sprayed half of the compartment with Trico, so the Hazel stools on this side look like they have been painted white (as you can see in this photo from the woodland). Trico, an emulsified sheep fat spray, is harmless but deters deer from browsing. The other half of the compartment was fenced, something that we had been prevented from doing sooner as the woodland floor was so saturated and we wanted to avoid damaging the fragile Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW) soil. With the Trico and deer fencing in place we will be able to compare the effectiveness of these two methods of deer management, which will help our plans for protecting the flora in other areas of the woodland.

We’re planning to commission a drone survey soon to gather more data on the deer population. This advanced technology, which can identify deer species as well as numbers and locations, will give us an accurate baseline to work from as we try to manage the impact of deer in the woodland.

Capturing change

We recently purchased a time lapse camera, which will be placed in the coppiced compartment. Filming 20 seconds a week over the summer, we plan to create a video showing the coppiced plot waking up, growing and regenerating.

There are also plans to monitor birdsong and light levels throughout the wood, as well as completing yearly woodland condition assessments. This data will help us to demonstrate and record Holcot’s restoration journey – a story of coppice restoration and active woodland management, with all the biodiversity benefits that they bring.

Image: View of the coppice form the time lapse camera position, 20th March

What’s next

Soon, work to resurface part of the main access track into the woodland, especially the ‘S’ bend, will commence. This will improve year-round access for all vehicles.

In late summer, we’re planning to fell some of the ash trees infected with dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), and clear the overgrown glade leading down to the lake. This will be an ideal time of year as the dry conditions will avoid damage to the Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland floor. Meticulous surveys will be carried out prior to felling, following the British Trust for Ornithology methodology, ensuring no disturbance to nesting birds.

Antonia, our forestry trainee, continues to do great things, and has recently completed a placement with the Southill Estate. Next, she will be joining Guy and Jane Lambourne at Wassledine . A further programme of placements, over the next few months, will see her work with both internal and external teams on a variety of projects. Antonia will be sharing her experiences to date in a new blog very soon.

Image: Our Forest dog Brain with Antonia

Woodland management across our Community Woodlands

As we’ve been planting trees and creating woodlands since the early 90s, some of our older woodlands are now entering a phase where they need active management to ensure they continue to thrive and deliver the greatest benefits to people, nature and our planet.

A Woodland Management Plan (WMP) is the first priority for the active management of a woodland. It provides a comprehensive and detailed summary of the woodland and the vision for its future, with clear plans for the following 10 years. The baseline summary includes the special characteristics of the woodland – including biodiversity features, age and species structure of the trees and shrubs, presence of any protected species, flood management features, rights of way across the woodland and general accessibility. The WMP also provides a risk assessment for the woodland (looking at its resilience to pests, diseases and climate change) as well as an economic view of the woodland, considering future coppicing and the use of the timber produced.

So far, we have completed a WMP for the 20 hectares at the Millennium Country Park, and this has been submitted to the Forestry Commission. Next in line are Shocott Spring, between Cotton End and Shortstown, and The Grange Estate in Willington, which we aim to complete this summer.

For our Community Woodlands, which are all under 50 years old, we are exploring Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). This technique involves measurements to discover how much timber a year is grown, and how much could be sustainably removed from a compartment each year. It’s a very popular model throughout Europe, and a far less intrusive way of managing a woodland. A fine-tuned method, with a high emphasis on regeneration, diversity of species and age structure, CCF is great for biodiversity. A ‘little and often’ approach, it will help us to increase species diversity and slowly move us away from ash- and oak- dominated woodland areas.

Throughout the restoration project there will be open days, guided walks and volunteering opportunities to share our experiences and get local communities involved in this exciting project and we’ll be keeping you updated with the different stages as they happen. If you have any questions, do get in touch with our Community Forester, Luke Quenby.