Conserving the Cultural heritage of GB woods and forests
Forestry and our cultural heritage
Sunne Sweden
Tim Yarnell.Historic Environment Adviser Forestry Commission
Vienna Resolution 3.
Preserving and enhancing the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Sustainable Forest Management in Europe.
Identification of cultural interests in woods and forests.
Includes archaeology “In” and “of” woods, veteran trees and trees of cultural significance.
UKFS
Criteria for sustainable forest management :Evidence that :• important sites are clearly recorded
• archaeological sites are protected and damage is avoided
• cultural and historical character of countryside is taken into account when creating new woods and making changes to existing woods.
Cultural Heritage
“ works of people or the combined works of nature and people including archaeological sites and responses to these in art,literature and personal belief ”
adapted from UNESCO world heritage convention.
WHAT????
JUST A PILE OF STONES
• Often the only evidence about past societies
• Important part of national identity
• Useful educational and recreation resource
• An entry point to multi-benefit forestry
Woodland : Just a bunch of trees!!!
Historical Record
Past People Lived
Utilising Resources
Events and Association
1895 1947 1998
Woodland cover for England
Woodland cover for Scotland
1895 1947 1995
Woodland cover for Wales
1895 1947 1997
HISTORY
“Of the Woods…….
• Banks and enclosures• Charcoal Hearths• Bloomeries• Veteran trees• Pasture
and the land they occupy”
• Settlement• Field systems• Burial Sites• Pottery Kilns•Fortifications
What has been happening?
Dean survey*
Northants Woods
Sheffield Woods*
Herefordshire Woods
Sunart*
Thetford
Woodland Trust Woods
Leny Woods*
New Forest
Hanes y Goedwig*Story of the ForestPollen Studies
N Wales Project
Woodland cover for Wales
1895 1947 1997
1895 1947 1998
Woodland cover for England
PAWS
• Plantations on Ancient woodland Sites.
• Woodland that has been in existence since c1600 (national variation)
• A degree of subjectivity
CULTURAL ISSUES
• “Restoration”
• Perceptions
• Diversity
• History
MEDIEVAL FORESTS
Huntingdonshire
?Kesteven
Salcey
Rockingham
MEDIEVAL FORESTS
Rutland/Leighfield
Whittlewood
0 5
Kilometers
10Northants Forest District woods
Woodland c.1825
Boundary of medieval forests
0 5
Kilometers
10
IRON AGE/ROMAN ENCLOSURE EARTHWORKSRegional distribution
0 5
Kilometers
10
BARROWSRegional distribution
INFORMATION SOURCES
• Personal Knowledge
• Old Maps
• Sites and Monuments Record (note need for advice)
• Historic Landscape Characterisation
• Fieldwork
SALCEY FOREST, Northamptonshire
0 0.25
Kilometers
0.5
Keeper's Lodge site
Pond
World War 2Quarry
DitchWoodbank?IA enclosure?Early coppice system
Veteran Tree Recording
What have we learned ?
• There are no rules
• Each site on its merits
• Trees off forever not always the solution
• Setting of the woodland in historic landscape context is important
Why the subject is important now
• The amount of longer established woodland
• The last century of planting policy
• Major felling programmes for various reasons
• “New” policy direction.
Research Programme
Impacts of Forestry
Veteran Trees
Monitoring
Woodland History
Characterisation :The Historic landscape Characterisation
programme is well underway. This is already influencing individual applications and should be significant in developing forestry frameworks at a local and regional level.
. Forestry Frameworks: Historic environment
factors should feature in the preparation of these.
What has been happening?
Dean survey*
Northants Woods
Sheffield Woods*
Herefordshire Woods
Sunart*
Thetford
Woodland Trust Woods
Leny Woods*
New Forest
Hanes y Goedwig*Story of the ForestPollen Studies
N Wales Project
Historic Environment
“The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built,formed or influenced by human activities from earliest to more recent times”
“The historic environment is one of our greatest resources. It brings social economic and environmental benefits and affects everyone of us”