8.4 Woodland planting

Planting a woodland on your green space will benefit wildlife immensely. However, it involves hard work, commitment, dedication, and a thorough understanding of woodland management techniques. Before you plant your woodland you must think about the long-term costs and manpower involved in managing your woodland in the long term.

Creating a new woodland

There are some positions where woodland planting is inappropriate. Woodland should not be planted under power lines and cables or over any utility pipes or cables of any kind. Be a good neighbour by ensuring your trees do not prevent sunlight from reaching someone else’s home, greenhouse, or garden and also be aware of what size the trees will grow to by checking with your supplier. Do not plant in areas such as meadows or riverbanks that already have an abundance of animal, bird, or plant life. Green spaces or even urban wasteland can contain important species and habitats which could be destroyed by woodland planting so carry out a thorough survey, so that you know where tree planting would be beneficial and where it would not.

Lay out your woodland carefully. Early succession and fast growing species such as birch and rowan should be prominent as they will create a pleasant, light and airy woodland after 12 to 15 years. Slow growing species such as oak will take around 50 years to reach maturity but are important to include. They will eventually replace much of the birch in the canopy. If you want to include holly in your new wood (it is a prominent component of Sheffield’s woods), it is best to wait until your wood has established itself, to provide the holly with some shade and shelter.

Trees should be planted at intervals of approximately three metres, in irregular groups made up of trees of the same species. Try not to space your trees too regularly, or in straight rows, and if possible, follow the landform. Shrubs can be planted closer. Between one and two metres from the trees is adequate for shrubs. See the earlier section on tree planting for further details.

Managing existing woodland

Existing woodland can be managed imaginatively to benefit wildlife. Planting native shrubs like blackthorn, hawthorn and holly in shady parts of the wood can provide excellent habitat for birds such as wrens. Be careful, though, not to unearth any important woodland wildflowers, grasses or sedges. Prune shrubs to a height of approximately 50 to 70 cm during the first winter to stimulate thick growth.

Do not ‘tidy up’ your woodland too much by removing all the dead wood and cut branches. Dead wood forms the basis of life for many woodlands, providing food and shelter for bacteria and invertebrates like woodlice and wood-boring beetles. These are the foundation of many food chains, attracting many birds e.g. woodpeckers and nuthatches, bats and other small mammals. Use your dead wood in constructive ways within the wood for example, defining paths, providing dens for children and making habitat piles.

Creating sunny glades and woodland rides will increase the habitat diversity of your woodland. Glades are more open areas of grassland within the wood, grading to shrubs and back to woodland. Rides are similar but form long pathways through the wood. These areas allow more light into the wood, stimulating wildflower growth, and bringing butterflies, birds and even badgers into your green space. Mowing the grass around an area of trees every autumn can create a simple glade.

Weed areas round newly planted trees, to prevent competition for soil nutrients from other plants. Don’t use a strimmer too close to trees as you could damage the bark. Remember that weeds are simply plants growing in the wrong place. A rose in a cabbage patch would be a weed. So be very careful about which plants you are clearing away.

At its highest level, woodland management requires expert advice. Management techniques like tree-thinning to provide sturdier specimens with more light and soil nutrients; coppicing to enable cut stumps to sprout new stems; or the creation of ‘dead hedges’ involving the interweaving of fallen branches among cut tree-stumps to protect them from grazing animals such as deer, all require expertise and understanding.

Safety factors, including the proper handling of potentially dangerous equipment such as axes, saws, and sickles, as well as the wearing of protective clothes, are of prime importance.

SAFETY REGULATIONS MUST NEVER BE IGNORED AND EXPERT TRAINING BY QUALIFIED INSTRUCTORS SHOULD BE GIVEN.. INSURANCE MUST BE OBTAINED BEFORE COMMENCING WORK.

The National Small Woods Association (NSWA) aims to promote the management, conservation and rehabilitation of small, under managed woodlands. They can provide advice and information on small woodlands, run a low cost insurance scheme and offer training courses throughout the year. Contact:

For general information on woodlands in Sheffield contact:

S8 9FL