Using natural colonisation for the creation of new woodland
Natural colonisation is the process by which trees colonise new ground from existing local sources. This can happen through seed which has been dispersed by birds, mammals, wind or gravity, or by vegetative colonisation where new growth sprouts from the stem or roots of adjacent trees.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
A 28 page guide covering:
- Summary
- Planning factors
- Management objectives
- Timescale and costs
- Combining approaches
- Legislation and regulation
- Site factors
- Site survey
- Seed availability and vegetative spread
- Soil and vegetation
- Browsing and grazing animals
New guidance to support foresters, farmers, landowners and agents on natural colonisation. For the purposes of this guide, the objective is to establish a closed canopy of woodland trees across at least 60% of a site. While natural colonisation is a key component of rewilding, from which woodland may or may not be the ultimate outcome, this is considered a separate topic and not covered by this guidance.
Evidence on the successes, failures, and potential benefits and drawbacks of using natural colonisation to create a viable new woodland is still relatively sparse and further research is underway. By introducing the range of planning and site factors that influence natural colonisation, this document acts as preliminary guidance to support those who are considering using it to create new woodland, based on current evidence.