Acid Grassland
Grasslands that develop over nutrient poor, acidic
soils
Ancient Woodland
Woodland in Britain that originated before 1600
AD. Ancient woodland can also be secondary woodland
Carr
Woodland growing on soils with permanently high
water levels ad dominated usually by alder or willow
Chalk Grassland
A type of grassland and associate plants that grow
in thin calcareous soild over chalk bedrock
Coppice
A traditional method of woodland management in
which multiple stems are allowed to grow up from the base of a felled tree.
The stems are then cut every few years. In the past this would have
provided fuel and wood for making tool handles fencing and charcoal.
Emergent
Aquatic plants rooted in water but growing up above
the water surface
Fen
Plants found in chalky wetland areas typically
composed of willowherbs, meadowsweet, reed canary grass and various sedges.
Glade
An open area in woodland, created by felling trees,
which is warmer and brighter than the surrounding woodland and offers ideal
condition for many butterflies and wildflowers
Grass Heath
Strongly acid grassland with
many species of plants characteristic of heathland but lacking heather
or heaths
Ground Flora
Plants which grow at the lowest level of a plant
community. They rarely grow to a height greater than one metre
Habitat
The living place of a plant or animal or a community
of plants and animals
Heathland
An area characterised by heather and heaths growing
on acidic, nutrient poor, mineral soils. Only remnants of true heathland
exist in Hertfordshire
Invertebrate
Animals without backbones such as insects, spiders
and snails
Micro-habitat
A small scale part of a habitat where the ecological
conditions are different from the main habitat, e.g. a rotting log within
a wood
Neutral Grassland
Any grassland which is neither strongly acidic
nor strongly calcareous
Pollard
A tree that has been felled at two or more metres
above ground level in order to produce a crown of poles. The
poles would have been traditionaly used like coppice
poles but are grown out of reach of grazing animals. The crowns are
often valuable nesting sites for birds
Rank Vegetation
Grassland or marshes that have not been cut or
grazed for some time and have become tall, tussocky and dominated by coarse
species of grass
Ride
A wide path or track clearing through woodland
which is sheltered but receives sunlight to the ground. They are
often rich in wildflowers and butterflies
Scrub
A general term used to describe a community of
tree and shrub species which colonise open ground, particularly grassland
Secondary Woodland
Woodland occupying a site that has not been wooded
continuously since the last ice age. It may be a product of natural
succession or of planting on formerly unwooded land
Standard Trees
Trees within a coppiced
woodland which are allowed to grow to maturity and traditionaly then felled
or large timber
Succession
The gradual replacement of one plant community
by another leading ultimately to an equilibrium state
Unimproved
Grassland which has never been treated with chemical
fertilizers or herbicides and as a result is usually rich in wildlife