Describe and explain the seasonal differences in the stores and transfers shown in figures 5a and 5b (8 marks)

In Late Autumn the litter store is the largest this is because during autumn deciduous forest tress shed their leaves as they will lose too much water and nutrients and get damaged this adaptation helps the trees to survive the cold winter. During the autumn it is colder and green chlorophyll leaves begin to change colour, leaving rotten orange and red colour leaves. The leaves that have been shed fall into the soil which results in a larger litter store. Whereas in Late Spring the deciduous forest trees will have been beginning to grow back or grown back their leaves, and the leaves will be large and broad to absorb water and sunlight to produce food needed for the tree to survive. So the leaves will not be shed reducing the size of the litter store. In spring the litter store is also smaller, because some rotting has occurred, so nutrients from leaves have been returned to the soil, making the soil store larger. In autumn, many of the nutrients have not yet been decomposed and so are within the litter, so there are fewer in the soil. Soil nutrients have also been taken up by the vegetation during the previous growing season, resulting in a smaller soil store. Whereas during spring litter decomposition takes place, so the litter store decreases as more nutrients flow into the soil store. The biomass of both cycles stays relatively large as the amount of trees remains the same but in the autumn the biomass is less as leaves have been shed. The biomass store is bigger in spring than autumn, the litter store is smaller in spring than autumn and the soil store is bigger in spring than autumn.

Using examples of named deciduous woodlands in the UK describe and explain a range of strategies used to manage these areas in a sustainable way (10 marks)

There are many threats made against deciduous woodlands direct and indirect influences which have a negative impact on the forest, these include things such as deforestation where trees are all cut down which means good quality habitats are lost and wildlife is disturbed especially nesting birds. Smell and visual intrusion of airports has a negative impact on deciduous forests as it pollutes oxides like nitrogen which produces acid rain and kills habitats. Also the development of improved infrastructure and terminal buildings will result in taking woodland land and cutting down habitats already grown their For example Epping Forest located in Essex, UK is a forest with deciduous woodland. It contains grasslands, heaths, bogs and ponds within the forest; it covers 6000 acres and is 12 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. 70% of the forest is deciduous woodland and is the home of animals such as woodpeckers and the fallow deer. However in 1878 the Epping Forest Act of Parliament was passed leaving the forest unenclosed area for the public. Since 1878 the forest has been managed by the City of London Corporation to sustain it for future generations. Car parks, toilets, refreshment facilities were made as well as extra facilities for the disabled. Instead of cutting trees down they let them fall down naturally unless they are a health and safety issue. They have put gamekeepers in place to stop poachers hunting deer. And the forest is encouraged for new growth by; Pollarding which is cutting trees down to shoulder height which is a method of sustainable management because it urges new growth and preserves the wood for future generations, and also by Re-planting and coppicing, which is when trees are cut to stumps to encourage new growth.People will have also gone on strike to get the government to change flight paths so that they do not cross over deciduous woodland and to prevent deforestation as it harms us as well. In the future Conservation groups, such as the Woodland Trust, aim to increase areas such as Box Hill by raising funds and planting new deciduous woodland.