The system of designated sites in the UK forms a representative sample of existing ecosystems within the landscape.

These areas and features of high conservation value include:

• Special Areas of Conservation
• Special Protection Areas
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest or Areas of Special Scientific Interest
• Ramsar Sites
• National Nature Reserves

Identification and mapping of these features may be carried out on an ongoing basis, provided that it has been completed for an area prior to significant woodland management operations taking place.

Where the boundaries of a designated site extend beyond the boundary of the WMU, it may not be possible for the owner/manager to significantly influence or change the overall condition of the site.

Measures should include steps to protect features such as breeding sites, resting places and display sites of priority species.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands are the key priority sites for woodland conservation in the UK.

Establishing the validity of the site’s status should not solely rely on ancient woodland inventories. Assessment on the ground should take account of:

• Soils
• Vegetation
• Old trees
• Historical and archaeological features and landscape implications.

Use should be made of natural regeneration or planting stock from parental material growing in the local native seed zone where appropriate and possible. Following outbreaks of pests or diseases, the owner/manager may seek advice from relevant forestry authorities or statutory bodies.

Maintenance of biodiversity values often requires targeted interventions. Management should be in accordance with the relevant FC practice guides for semi-natural woodlands.

Potential adverse impacts may include:

• Browsing by rabbits, deer and other animals
• Grazing by livestock
• Colonisation by invasive non-native species
• Visitor pressure.

Establishing the validity of the site’s status need not solely rely on ancient woodland inventories. In evaluating, prioritising and implementing actions owners/managers should take account of:

• Historical and archaeological features and landscape implications
• Remnant features
• The relationship with other biodiversity features and priorities and management objectives within the WMU and adjacent land use as a whole.

Active management is likely to be required to maintain the biodiversity, environmental and cultural values of these sites, including where continued growth of plantations for timber or woodfuel production is to be undertaken. Restocking and thinning should be carried out in such a way that remnant features are enhanced and buffered.

A precautionary approach is appropriate in most instances even if initially no remnant features may appear to be present. A gradual approach should be the default where remnants are threatened.

Threats may include shading, deer browsing, windthrow and ground damage from harvesting, and damage to veteran trees from woodland operations.

Where remnants are not threatened or where site characteristics allow a more rapid approach may be adopted. In some situations, such as inaccessible, unthinned stands or where there are heavy shade-casting species present, it may not be possible to apply a gradual approach, even though it would be the preferred option for threatened remnant features. In such circumstances, where possible, remnant features should be bolstered before operations.

Exploratory silvicultural interventions may help inform the choice of management prescriptions. Where complete canopy removal has occurred it will be important to ensure a successor canopy is established as soon as possible to alleviate further threats. The context of the site within the WMU and wider landscape will also inform any prioritised restoration plans. All operations within PAWS need to take account of remnant features, including ground flora, and mitigate against damage to them.

This requirement relates to woodlands other than ASNW and PAWS (see sections 4.2 and 4.3).

Priority should be given to woodlands or woodland relicts that may have retained/acquired valuable ecological characteristics.

Typically, these values may be found in:

• Semi-natural woodlands
• Long established woodlands of planted origin
• Woodland relicts
• Veteran trees
• New native woodlands.

Potential adverse impacts may include:

• Browsing by rabbits, deer and other animals
• Grazing by livestock
• Colonisation by invasive non-native species
• Visitor pressure.

This requirement relates to small-scale habitats within the WMU, which may include:

• Moorland
• Peatland
• Heathland
• Wood pasture
• Grassland
• Freshwater habitats such as ponds.

Appropriate management may include:

• Rides and glades containing remnant semi-natural communities are widened and extended
• Areas with a rich ground flora and shrub layer are heavily thinned
• Remnants of wood pasture, veteran trees or other ‘open-forest’ habitat are gradually opened up
• Heathland, bog and other open habitats are re-created by premature felling without restocking
• Maintenance of open ground around historic environment sites.

Particular attention should be paid to priority habitats and to habitats identified in country-level forest and peatland policies.

Potential adverse impacts may include:

• Browsing by rabbits, deer and other animals
• Grazing by livestock
• Colonisation by invasive non-native species
• Drainage.

Non-native species may be retained where they have a high ecological or cultural value.

Woodland removal to facilitate infrastructure or built development which is not integral to the management of the rest of the woodland cannot meet this requirement.

See also section 2.13.2 which covers larger-scale habitat restoration through conversion to non-forested land.

Preference should be given to restoring to semi-natural woodland unless there are clear biodiversity gains to be made by restoring to open habitats.

These areas contribute to the minimum of 15% of the WMU where management for conservation and enhancement of biodiversity is the primary objective, as identified in section 2.11.1.

Situations where forest management is critical for watershed management or erosion control are relatively rare, and are likely to be identified during consultation processes.

Further information is available in UKFS guidelines on soils and water.

Where a WMU is made up of more than one woodland, the owner/manager should locate natural reserves where they will deliver greatest biodiversity benefit, rather than necessarily in every individual woodland.

There should be no loss of existing natural reserves.

Areas managed as natural reserves within the areas identified by sections 4.1-4.5 may fulfil this requirement.

These areas contribute to the minimum of 15% of the WMU where management for conservation and enhancement of biodiversity is the primary objective, as identified in section 2.11.1.

Where a WMU is made up of more than one woodland, the owner/manager should locate long-term retentions or LISS areas where they will deliver greatest biodiversity benefit, rather than necessarily in every individual woodland.

Areas managed as long-term retentions and/or LISS within the areas identified by sections 4.1-4.5 may fulfil this requirement.

These areas contribute to the minimum of 15% of the WMU where management for conservation and enhancement of biodiversity is the primary objective, as identified in section 2.11.1.

This requirement applies in WMUs where there are existing veteran trees.

Owners/managers of WMUs without veteran trees may choose to promote future veteran trees, as part of their wider management to maintain and/or enhance biodiversity value.

Actions may include:

• Freeing from shading and/or competition
• Pollarding younger trees or lopping older trees to prolong their life.

Veteran tree management should not conflict with safety of the public or workers.

The owner/manager should refer to deadwood guidance produced by relevant statutory conservation agencies, forestry authorities and others when identifying areas of greatest nature conservation benefit and when planning actions to accumulate deadwood.

Current evidence suggests that, over the long term, deadwood (not including stumps, which are usually retained after felling) should accumulate to roughly 20 m³ per hectare averaged – though not uniformly distributed – across the WMU.

In most hectares there should be a few standing and fallen stems contributing to the overall deadwood provision.

Deadwood management should not conflict with safety of the public or workers or the health of the woodland.

Actions may include:

• Keeping standing dead trees and snags
• Keeping and protecting old and/or previously pollarded trees alive through appropriate management
• Only harvesting windblow when it is of significant value unless more than 3 m³/ha is blown and sufficient deadwood is already accumulating on site
• Keeping naturally fallen trees or major branches
• When thinning or clearfelling, and where safe to do so, creating snags and providing fallen deadwood where insufficient has already accumulated.

The accumulation of deadwood throughout a rotation provides for greater continuity of the full range of deadwood habitat types.

The most valuable areas within which to develop deadwood habitats are where linkages can be made with existing deadwood habitats to develop ecological connectivity over time; these areas include:

• Wood pasture/parklands
• Ancient semi-natural woodland with veteran trees
• Long-term retentions and natural reserves
• Riparian or wet woodland.

Retained deadwood should be matched to the requirements of those species likely to be important on the site. Habitat diversity is improved by having:

• Stems of greater than 20 cm diameter, particularly large dimension timber from native species
• Snags at variable height
• A range of tree/shrub species at varying stages of decay and in a variety of light conditions
• Deadwood in living trees.

See also section 5.2.1 in relation to mitigation of risks to public health and safety.

There should be clear justification where non-local sources are used. This may include reasons of tree vigour, timber quality, and long-term forest resilience.

The identity code used for parental material includes an ‘N’ when it applies to native material from known indigenous sources.

Examples of relevant sources of information include:

• Maps
• Databases
• Field observations.

Typical examples include:

• Prominent viewing points
• Landscape features
• Veteran and other notable trees
• Historical features and archaeological sites
• Woodlands which feature in literature or which are of artistic significance
• Historic landscapes and woodlands which are still managed under traditional systems.

Where relevant, a professional archaeological walkover survey may be required to inform decisions and provide baseline evidence.

Sites of potential historical importance discovered during the course of forest management should be reported to the relevant statutory historic environment agencies.

See also section 2.3.1 in relation to consultation.

Consider impacts on priority habitats and species and other native species.

Release and feeding areas should be located in areas where there will be low impact on ground flora.

Predator control should be carried out in line with best practice.

The use of lead shot over wetland is restricted by regulations.