PM 3 - Create new woodlands to reconnect and buffer existing woodlands
- Code
- PM 3
- Measure
- Create new woodlands to reconnect and buffer existing woodlands
- Description
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New woodland habitats should be created in areas to reconnect isolated woodlands or trees to improve connectivity across the landscape and several different woodland types. Natural colonisation or targeted tree planting can help to establish diverse woodland corridors. Suitable buffer habitats can include mosaics of scrub and grassland habitats or tree planting, for example planting shelter belts to protect existing woodlands from the wind. Trees should be locally sourced, by harvesting seed from locally significant trees to retain the local seed bank and support climate resilience.
- Wider environmental benefits
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Increasing woodland cover Improving air quality Reducing climate change impact
- Links to additional information and guidance
- Priority
- Herefordshire’s woodlands are well-managed and restored with woodland corridors created across the landscape
- Priority description
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Trees and woodlands hold significant biodiversity value and support wider benefits such as reduced flood risk, carbon sequestration and improved air quality. Herefordshire has approximately 19% woodland and tree cover, which is concentrated in areas such as the Malvern Hills or Wye Valley National Landscapes. It also has a significant number of isolated ancient woodlands, Wood-pasture and parkland, and traditional orchards, a form of wooded habitat; all are of high importance in Herefordshire and are subject to separate priorities and measures. Approximately two thirds of the county’s woodlands are managed, with the remaining woodland un-managed. Sustainable woodland management is therefore critical for the longevity of wooded habitats in good ecological condition across Herefordshire as they face threats from pests, diseases, damage by grey squirrels and overgrazing by deer. The creation of new woodlands and corridors will also further support the climate resilience of these habitats and enable species with poor powers of dispersal to commute, forage and migrate.