Alice Holt Forest
Forest News
Updated 27th May 2010
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CONTENTS :
FC Answers Butterfly Enthusiasts' Concerns. Recent felling along the Forestry Road in the Straits Inclosure caused outcry among fans of the rare Emperor butterfly. Forest Enterprise recently took time out to allay fears about the impact of the work on this famous Alice Holt species
Announcement of the boundaries of the South Downs National Park. Great news! Alice Holt Forest joins Binsted as an official part of the new South Downs National Park
Foresters' Newsletter This is a newsletter produced by Julian Williams, the Visitor Manager at Alice Holt Forest to improve general communication and public awareness of what's happening at Alice Holt
Exciting Plans for Old Arboretum Great news! The Forestry Commisiion wants to start work on restoring the Old Arboretum near Bentley Station as a community project.Read the account of Richard Jinks' fascinating public walk round the site.
The Future of our Forests: Alice Holt Community Forum AHCF meets regularly to discuss issues of concern to the wider community with the people who run the Forest. This article tracks its progress to date including the latest meeting: held to draft an official submission to the DEFRA/Forestry Commission National Consultation about our the future publically owned Forests.
Kennels Pond Update. Now it's a "conservation area". See update.
NB: Forest Diary: "Forthcoming events & activities" in and around the Forest & local area is now on another page >>Click Here for Diary of Events
Forestry Commission Answers Concerns Over Felling in the Straits Inclosure from Purple Emperor Experts
There was a huge outcry among butterfly enthusiasts when Forest Enterprise recently felled a large number of sallows (willows) along the main Forestry Road which runs through the Straits Inclosure. Associated with mature oak woodland, especially the big "master oaks" around which the spectacular males congregate, the purple emperor actually lays its eggs on sallow, on which the pupae overwinter. Hence the timing of the felling, in spring was a particular shock when butterfly enthusiasts turned up to survey how the population of this rare species was getting on. In no time at all the news had spread online via various wildlife forums and the Forestry Commission was being inundated with calls and emails complaining about what they saw as insensitive work.
The Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) is a rare and magnificent, large butterfly which has been adopted as the symbol of Alice Holt forest by the Forestry Commission. Photo(c) National Trust
The rumpus was sufficient for David Williamson, Director of Forest Enterprise for the South East, and his senior colleague Stan Abbott to take time out to discuss the issue on site with members of the Alice Holt Community Forum.
Firstly Stan explained that the track in question is one of the main arteries which contractors use to access the Forest with the huge 44 tonne trucks which transport timber to market. Without such access to the interior of the Forest, there would be far more disturbance of the Forest, as extractors would have to be constantly going to and fro with small loads, churning up the ground and creating vast storage areas by the side of the public highway. As such these major forest roads need to be built and maintained to a far higher engineering specification than the regular rides and paths. Part of this maintenance is the periodic scraping and cleaning of the ditches, especially in the Straits which sits on flat, low lying land on our notoriously soggy Gault Clay. Therein lies the issue: the sallows on which the butterflies depend like to germinate on the bare, wet earth in the ditches. Once they've grown to the size favoured by Purple Emperors (about 15 years) they are seriously clogging up the drainage and impeding the graders which have to periodically scrape and re-camber the roads' gravel surfaces.
Butterfly expert Matthew Oates, who's studied the Straits for over thirty years agreed that, while the visual impact and fact that this is a particularly popular butterfly-watching spot meant this felling was a bit of a shock, the work will not significantly impact the Forest's overall population of Purple Emperors. Matthew felt the furore had got a bit out of hand. Forest Enterprise agreed that a more pro-active communication, confirming that (like all their major operations) it had been carried out within strict guidleines and with the sanction of the Forestry Commission's expert ecologist might have prevented a lot of this concern.
Mr Abbott stressed that, having been managed in a rather uniform way, so that large areas of Straits Inclosure have a very even structure of similarly-sized young oaks, the method of management at Straits is now shifting towards "selective group thinning and felling" . This is where , rather than moving evenly accross a large area, felling or thinning the oaks, the Foresters take their machinary along the "ribs" of a "herringbone" type pattern, minimising unnecessary disturbance and then take out trees around a point at the end of the "rib". This deliberately creates a more varied structure, with more of a patchwork of light and shade. According to Matthew this will greatly improve the attractiveness of Straits, not just for the celebrated Purple Emperors, but for other rare species such as the White Admiral. In time Straits may regain its position as a truly first class National butterfly location, a status it lost when the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary and both types of the very rare Pearl Bordered Fritillares sadly became locally extinct.
Forest Research are also planning on creating a series of "scallops"; large chunks cut out of the edge of the Forest along the forestry road, where smaller plants and shrubs, including bramble, honeysuckle and sallows can thrive without interfering with the necessary maintenance of the road surface. Some of these scallops will be scraped, creating the right type of bare, wet earth for the sallows, without interfering with road drainage.This is an ecologically friendly management technique which has been tried with great success at another Forestry Commission property at Chiddingfold.
And of course it's not only butterflies that Forest Enterprise have to look after: Straits houses some important environmental monitoring areas managed by their colleagues in Forest Research and is a haven for Dormice, a species subject to the most stringent levels of habitat protection, as well as various nesting birds of prey. These factors have greatly restricted the time window during which forestry operations can be carried out. One feels a certain sympathy with the Foresters who undoubtedly give nature conservation a very high priority, but have many other objectives and priorities to balance, all within the constrints of limited budgets and the practicalities of getting the job done.
Government Decides the Boundaries of the new South Downs National Park: ALICE HOLT INCLUDED!
LEFT: The proposals in June 2007: the huge Western Weald and Binsted to be taken out. RIGHT: The final decision by DEFRA: Western Weald , Binsted and Alice Holt are now all IN the Park boundary (Maps (c) DEFRA & Natural England)
"We are absolutely delighted with this news, it will bring huge benefits for Alice Holt Forest "
David Williamson, Director, Forestry Enterprise South East
Click Here to see the report from BBC South Today
It was ten years ago the John Prescott announced proposals to make the South Downs a National Park, as a "Millenium Gift" to the future generations of the British People. Whereas most National Parks are in sparsely populated, mainly unimproved upland agricultural areas such as the Lake District, the South Downs is in overpopulated and intensively farmed South East England. The core was always to be the rolling ridge of chalk Downland (From Saxon "Dun" : a hill) that runs from Beachy Head, westwards to the Itchen valley at Winchester. But the South Downs forms part of a much larger landscape area: the "Weald" (Saxon : Wood) which is a great horseshoe shaped series of ridges and valleys formed when the chalk dome of the downs was worn away to reveal the underlying sandstones and clays.
When , in June 2007 the Inspector reommended removing the "Western Weald", (including the Woolmer Forest area of heathland around Bordon and the beautiful, densely wooded hilly country around Liss, Petersfield and Midhurst) there was uproar. A high profile campaign was launched, led by multi-best-selling travel author Bill Bryson and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) also attracting the support of actor and mountaineer Brian Blessed, known for his spectacular bearded grin, plus prominent South East politicians such as the Green Party's Caroline Lucas, MP , Chris Huhne of the Lib-Dems and Conservatives Michael Mates and James Arbuthnot.
LEFT: Author Bill Bryson (Photo: CPRE) CENTRE: Secretary of State, Hiliary Benn MP (Photo: NFU) RIGHT: South East MEP Caroline Lucas (Photo: Green Party)
A large number of celebrities joined the thousands of ordinary people who signed a petition (featured on this website) demanding the re-inclusion of this precious area, which forms an integral unit together with the high Downs. Thanks to all those who signed and we can all be proud that this unique and fragile landscape has now been confirmed as in the Park boundary which is fantastic news and a great result for all those who worked tirelessly to raise the profile of this issue. Read The Decision by Secretary of State at DEFRA, Rt Hon Hiliary Benn, MP (7 page pdf!)
Hardly noticed in the furore over the Western Weald was the Inspector's decision to exclude the so called "Binsted Peninsula" also known as the "Malmstone Ridge" or "Northern Hangers": the low but very steep-sided plateau which runs from East of Alton, along Telegraph Hill near Binsted, through Wheatley, South Hay, Wyck , King John's Hill and onwards to Selbourne. It forms the "cusp" of the horseshoe-shaped uplands which ring the Weald : effectively the junction between the South Downs and the North Downs which run from Farnham along the Hog's Back and into Kent.
This is the only extensive area of "Malmstone" a chalk-like limestone formation of the Lower Greensand. It's the soft white limestone you see cropping out of the banks of those deep-cut ancient lanes all around Binsted and the Worldhams, and forms the construction material for many of the most attractive old buildings in the area. The landscape is a rolling plateau bounded by short, but incredibly steep, almost cliff-like slopes or "hangers" most of which are wooded with ancient ash and hazel coppices. Just follow some of the footpaths on the scarp edge between Isington and Wheatley in spring to see the most tremendous displays of bluebells and wild garlic forming continuous masses of blooms!
Steep sided secret valleys cut into the plateau provide a haven for badgers, deer and buzzards (which were formerly extinct this far east but are now coming back strongly). Even Red Kites are starting to visit the area from their new strongholds further north and will hopefully settle down to breed once again, restoring the meaning of placenames such as "Kite's Hill" near Goose Green. The plateau top is fertile farming country and there is a threat over most of the arable land from increasing intensification, as witnessed by the severe soil erosion now affecting parts of the plateau around Wyck and Binsted. Many of our once common farmland birds which have declined so drastically such as Skylarks, Turtle Doves, Grey (English) Partridges, Lapwings and Yellowhammers are still breeding here and deserve the protection from excessive intensification that a sensitive National Park regime will bring.
Acknowledgements to Stubbs Farm
Back at the beginning of the process Alice Holt Forest was taken out of consideration even before the Inspector's report of 2007. But now Hiliary Benn has personally visited the area, found it to be of great landscape and conservation interest, and decided to over-ride his Inspector by including the Forest within the National Park.
Alice Holt of course is home to many nationally and internationally threatened species including those bugs, mosses ,fungi and so on which we laymen may not notice but which are vital pieces in the ecological jig-saw of an Ancient Woodland eco-system. Higher profile rarities are the Hobbies, Nightjars , Dormice and other "Red List" endangered species which breed in the Forest. And the area is rich in history and archaeological remains from the campsites of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Stone Age hunters nearby, to the nationally important Roman pottery kilns of Alice Holt and Binsted.
Were Alice Holt to stay outside the Park , we'd be worried it would have risked becoming over-developed as a leisure "honeypot" to attract car-based visitors in order to reduce pressure on the Park. Under Park protection, the Forest should see conservation come even further to the fore, ahead of pressure on Forest Enterprise to provide more and more "facilities" such as toilets, cafe's and adventure/activity attractions.
THE DETAIL: The exact boundary at Alice Holt was also subject to some controversy. The team who visited the site to work out the exact boundary for DEFRA wanted an "island" of Forest, not connected to the main Park , with a strip of unprotected land down the Blacknest Road between the Forest and the old Bentley-Bordon railway track.
The AHCF and Aliceholt.org campaigned for this strip , which may hardly be "pristine countryside" but needs protection from more development to be included ("washed over" is the planning jargon) so that the Alice Holt part of the Park would join up with the main Park and not be fragmented. In the end DEFRA agreed.
We were not so successful in getting the area around Birdworld and the Forest Lodge Garden Centre, (which is subject to current and future planning applications by owners Denys E Head Ltd) included and that part's out.
But all in all were DELIGHTED that we won the argument for a large integrated Park not a tiny sliver of downland. We won the argument over the Western Weald , we won the argument over Binsted and we won the argument over Alice Holt. A real victory for conservation in our ever more crowded island.
Map (c) DEFRA/Natural England
The Forestry Commission are keen to constantly improve communication and public awareness of what's going on with their management of the Forest and its facilities. So visitor manager Julian May issues this quarterly newsletter.
Among the highlights:-
Over 900 runners took part in the "Alice Holt 10k" race
In the spring the Forest will play host to Orienteering and a new event "CaniX" (promounced Cani-cross I guess) which is a race for cyclists AND their dogs (on bungee leads) That should be quite a sight!
The felling was delayed due to the deluges in October and November and will start after Christmas
There's a new Disabled Toilet going in at the Visitor Centre
Sony panoramic cameras are being installed to beam interesting views of the treetops back to big screen in the Forest Cafe at the Visitor Centre
Plans to restore the Old Arboretum get underway. Report of a Fascinating Guided Walk around the site.
One of the Foresters' Tags appearing on specimen trees in the Arboretum as they are recorded and mapped in the current survey.
Richard Jinks of the Forestry Commission led a really enjoyable and informative jaunt around the old Arboretum on September 2nd, attended by several memebers of the Alice Holt Community Forum* and many intertested members of the public. Richard explained the background: Arboreta are a really valuable resource: essentially "living museums" or "tree zoos" where all kinds of trees are kept and are available for study. The most famous is at Westonbirt. The Alice Holt Arboretum was built up as a series of research plantings from the 1950's onwards. Poor record keeping meant that some of the details of what trees are there and when they were planted have got lost. Now Forestry Scientists are desperate to rediscover what they've got in their collections ,especially as climate change means they urgently need to see how changing temperatures are affecting different species, both wild and imported.
So Forest Research ,the Research arm of the Forestry Commission is undertaking a complete survey of it's various arboreta , pinetums, forest gardens and other collections. The key to this is a sophisticated GPS system ,accurate to as little as half a metre which allows Richard and his colleagues to record the number and location of every individual tree and to output these as digital maps which will eventually be available as a national research resource for scientists to tap into on the web. Each mapped tree has a little metal tag with it's unique ID attached.
The Arboretum is especially valuable for it's conifers: pines ,spruces, larches and other cone-bearing species. Conifers are of course the principal source of commercially grown timber in many areas, yet there are remarkably few species: only some 500 in total worldwide (About the same as all the different species of Oak tree) Of these about half are rare or endangered in the wild. Many have been trialled for timber in the UK but sadly found wanting. Many of the conifers in the Arboretum are unusual species ,hybrids or particular strains grown from cuttings.
There are "champion" trees present, including Britain's broadest Pinus x schwerinii and tallest Virginian Pine . Considering the magnificent size of some of the shady groves of Redwoods it's really hard to believe these specimens date only from the 1950's and it make me think how majestic these trees will be when today's children are able to show them tho their children and grandchildren!
LEFT: Richard Jinks gives tips on identifying conifers by scent.
RIGHT: It's amazing that the Coast Redwoods which form this stately ,sun-dappled grove were only planrted in the 1950's: Imagine what they'll be like in the late 21st century when today's children can show their own grandchildren round this precious woodland heritage!
Dr Jinks is a mine of fascinating information and anecdote...with an encyclopedic knowledge of trees. For example he taught us to identify the Douglas Fir from the "bracts" on the cones which look like the back end of a mouse disappearing down between the scales of the cones and that many conifers can be identified by scent, such as the citrus smell of the Western Red Cedar. We now know that the Union Army in the American Civil War learned the hard way to distinguish the Jack Pine from the Ponderosa Pine. The latter produces turpentine and the various other tars and pitches needed to maintain wooden naval ships in good condition. But when the Jack Pine, a very similar looking tree was heated up in the hope of producing these distillates, the stills had a nasty habit of being blown sky high...due to the presence of highly explosive hectane in the sap!
The interesting species are not all conifers. Many trees that I would have paseed by turn out, under the watchful eye of an expert like Mr Jinks to be unusual :such as the alders: they're actually Italian Alders which don't need such wet conditions as the native one. Or the various Nothofagus or Southern Beech species from places like New Zealand and Chile.
The Arboretum is not just a potential goldmine of genetic and other scientific resources, its also a place of beauty , tranquility and inspiration. Up until the 1980's it was quite well kept, with wandering paths and the occasional bench looking out over specially opened up views. A lot of the paths have pretty much reverted to nature on this damp clay soil , the benches are gone and many of the glades and views are choked with overgrown scrub and saplings. Much of the rot set in when the Forestry Commission had to close the car park due to unauthorised raves, drug dealing and other unsavoury activities . The newer carpark on Gravel Hill Road, being more "public" is also more "self-policing" and less subject to such unwanted goings-on. But it would not be difficult to restore it to a pleasant and educational woodland walk.
All present were agreed that this should be done tastefully and sensitively without excessive noticeboards, signposts and other fussy tidying up. Perhaps a few simple number posts on the trail might be accompanied by a leaflet guiding people what to look out for.
The Head of Forest Enterprise's South Eastern Region, David Williamson commented "It is my hope that the rehabilitation of the Alice Holt Arboretum will form the basis of a joint project between the local community and the Forestry Commission and I am looking forward to the arboretum being restored to it's former glory."
IN THE NEXT SECTION BELOW YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE DISCUSSIONS WHICH WERE HELD REGARDING THE ARBORETUM AT THE ALICE HOLT COMMUNITY FORUM MEETING ON 17TH NOVEMBER 2008
LATEST NEWS (27th September 2009) Julian Williams, the Manager in charge has started work on clearing vegertation with a view to getting the "heavy stuff" done to fix up the most neglected paths and Richard Junks is now marking up those trees which he's recommended for clearance and removal
* The ALICE HOLT COMMUNITY FORUM is an informal group of interested parties who meet periodically with Forest Enterprise to discuss issues of interest to the public. It includes the Editor of this website, members of the Alice Holt Action Group, representatives of Bentley , Dockenfield and Binsted Parish Council and local landowners or members of the public. Anyone interested in attending these meetings can contact David Williamson, who chairs the Forum at david.williamson@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
ALICE HOLT COMMUNITY FORUMForest Enterprise, in a welcome drive to improve public understanding held a meeting back in October 2007 with local representatives to outline their vision of how the management of Alice Holt Forest will evolve over the coming years. Here's how The Herald reported that first meeting :-
This was the first meeting of what has subsequently become the "Alice Holt Community Forum*" . Follow up meetings are happening regularly now.
The Alice Holt Community Forum met at the Binsted Pavillion on 17th November 2008. Here's our report....
Colin Hall of the Alice Holt Action Group chaired the meeting. Binsted Parish Council was represented by Chairman Ken Carter (Who is also an East Hampshire District Councillor) and Sandy Baker. Also present were Jill Trout, Chair Dockenfield Parish Council; Dave Darrah, representing Bentley PC; Toby Everett, a local member of the Country Landowners' Association; Mary Herbert of Kingsley PC; and Patrick Butler, Editor of this website.A new voice representing Rowledge was Graham Precious of the Rowledge Residents' Association.
Forest Enterprise were represented by David Williamson, head of the South Eastern District, Karen Guest who has overall responsibility for Alice Holt Forest;Helen Wallace, in charge of education and schools activities and Emily Preston who manages the Alice Holt Visitor Centre. Forest Research, the other arm of the Forestry Commission was represented by Dr Richard Jinks.
Karen Guest, Forest Enterprise's Project Manager for Alice Holt Forest (standing) captures ideas from round the table for the management of the Arboretum at the latest Alice Holt Community Forum Meeting
Karen Guest talked about the vision for the future management of Alice Holt Forest following a period of consultation with visitors and staff. A new management plan is being put together which takes a good deal of time . The "brief" is that Alice Holt should be treated primarily as an Ancient Woodland and therefore should remain structurally diverse and be managed for a range of species and habitats. The woodland must continue to provide timber to customers locally and nationally but this will be much more sustainably and harmoniously done than in previous decades when softwood timber production was objective number one. It will also continue to be sensitively treated as the setting for sites of archaeological importance. Alice Holt should continue to provide a place for simple recreation and to encourage people of all ages to keep fit and healthy in a woodland environment. The education and interpretation work of the Forest must be integral to future plans both for organised groups and encouraging visitors to learn about themselves and their environment.
Upward pressure on visitor numbers is a threat which won't go away. One of the points of discussion was the potential impact of development at Bordon where, with the progressive withdrawal of the Army from many facilities, housing development is set to expand considerably (Hopefully as one of the Government's proposed "Eco-towns"). Bordon and Whitehill are surrounded by open land, including the Woolmer Forest. But much of this is European protected habitat and "SANGS" (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces" will need to be foundto serve these new communities. It was agreed that East Hampshire District Council should be strongly informed that Alice Holt is now effectively at saturation point during peak times and should not be envisaged as suitable to provide the primary outdoor recreation site for the new town.
In terms of concrete points already decided, Forestry Commission staff are working with partners to provide a safe crossing of the busy A325 that will in turn allow a link to Bentley Station. This is a great idea and will surely be popular both with visitors and residents coming up from Bentley, Blacknest and Bucks Horn Oak.
Turning to the main Visitor Centre: already some works are underway for better toilets etc . A proper community room is planned that can be used by volunteers and local people alongside an improved education facility, rather than relying on the marquees that have to accommodatesome activities today. Once again Karen emphasised that the plan is to keep the whole Visitor Centre complex within its existing footprint, which required careful juggling to make best use of the space. But an official policy of no new big developments and no creeping spread of the Visitor Centre site beyond its current boundaries is surely to be welcomed.
There's a lot of detail in the report from the first meeting about the trend away from block planting of conifers towards natural regeneration of broadleaves with the intention of finding biofuel uses for the (inevitably low grade) timber produced .[>>Read about Forest Enterprise's exciting new policy of managing Alice Holt in a more wildlife friendly and holistic way] Already FE has produced impressive results working with partners to develop a highly efficient next generation of woodchip-fuelled central heating systems . It's also very good news that Karen's Landscape Architect colleague is now identifying certain mature trees, including really fine conifer specimens and groups that should be kept for their scenic and wildlife diversity value. Considering the value of the timber in some of these large trees, that's an important concession ,showing that Forest Enterprise is increasingly seiing its role as holistic management of the Forest, rather than primarily a timber producer.
Karen Guest also talked about the Cycling For All Partnership at Alice Holt Forest, which is run by Clive Andrews who works for CTC. This is an inclusive project, which aims to get people of all ages and abilities out in the forest to ride their bikes. The Forestry Commission is working with the partnership (EHDC & CTC) to create a much needed 100 metre stretch of beginner's bike track that will wind through trees behind the Forestry Commission office and take cyclists away from cars and toddlers. Karen's team are working on finding a new partner to replace "Forestry Adventure" ,and they will concentrate on cycle hire, rather than archery, shooting etc. Until then hiring of regular adults' and kids' cycles is best done offsite, for example at Robin's Cyles in Lindford.
Helen Wallace gave an overview of the education and interpretation service at Alice Holt Forest. Incredibly over 12,000 people annually use the Forest in some way each year in an educational or similar capacity as a result of the many courses and programmes Helen runs. While these are predominantly children, the service does engage with groups of all ages and abilities. Helen's programme supports the National Curriculum needs of local schools for each of their age groups and she gets many requests for assistance from older students at sixth form or degree level who wish to undertake project work. But as well as sewrving the formal educational sector , Alice Holt encourages for broad participation by individuals and groups, especially families and parents with young children. The latest programme of public events can be found as a pdf accessible from the Alice Holt Diary of Events and Activities page. Some courses focus on wildlife and the environment, others on creative and craft skills or stirring the imagination and exploring the wider aspects of the "great outdoors" .Others still, such as the highly successful Nordic Walking programme are aimed at health, fitness and enjoyment of exercise out in the fresh air of this beautiful natural setting (Rather than a in boring, smelly old indoor gym!).
Update on plans for the restoration of the Old Arboretum The meeting was an important step forward. Richard Jinx expects to finalise a management plan shortly and this will result in a programme of work involving
(a) remedial works----------scraping of paths, rough mowing of some of the "lawn-like" clearings in the larch area
(b) major works--------------restoration of lower path, some extension of path network, thinning of trees and making safe of any dangerous trees
(c) enhancements---------- discreet signage and interpretive materials ,a few benches, labelling of the trees (A few of the original labels naming the specimen trees are still to be found if you search) and a programme of thematic new planting to ensure the Arboretum's beauty, interest and value as a scientific resource continues in the long term.All were agreed that the quiet and wild feel of the area should be preserved and intrusive signage etc avoided. Avoiding additional traffic and parking remains a question, as the Forestry Commission would not wish their private car park at the Lodge to be used. Bentley Station provides ideal access by public transport, and good weekend parking but is congested on weekdays. The existing car park is certainly spacious enough but there is concern about the narrow and dangerous part of Gravel Hill Road where is runs along the River Wey meadows. Therefore access via the A325 end of Gravel Hill Road seems preferable and access via the A31 should be avoided.
The costs were significant (estimated at £25,000) and the Forum’s help will be needed to raise funds since this level and type of expenditure would not fall within FE’s normal budgets. There was general consensus that while Forest Research should continue to conserve the existing tree collection, the local community might like to take on the management of the Arboretum and carry out some fundraising to enable the arboretum to be made accessible once more. The community group may be able to access public funds not available to FE, such as funds from The Greener Living Fund (DEFRA), Grassroots Grants or BIG Lottery Greener Spaces fund. It was agreed to hold a Special Forum meeting in January specifically to discuss the best way to constitute a managing body for the Arboretum project: see below.
AHCF Arboretum Project Meeting 24th Jan 2009 Several members of the AHCF met to discuss the reponse to FE's proposals.
It was decided that we should recommend the Forum to go ahead with FE's offer of managing the arboretum as a Community Project in partnership with Forest Enterprise and Forest Research.
The members present reviewed the options available and felt a CIC (Community Interest Company) would be the most effective and least onerous legal entity to manage this project and that it would be best to keep the CIC independent, allowing it to deal with Parish Councils and other local bodies, but not subsumed within any of the Local Government organisations. Fundraising would require the services of someone with financial manangement experience, good networking and diplomatic skills and the time and energy to devote to this major part of getting the project moving. The ability to navigate the numerous possible grant giving bodies, without allowing the aims of the project to get overwhelmed by funding conditions will be key. See the feature about this on the Home Page: if you feel you could successfully manage that vital voluntary role, or know a likely candidate, please contct Colin Hall.
The management itself should be a committee reporting to the CIC as most of the current AHCF members have many other calls on their time, especially those who are Councillors. Leading voluntary groups to do the work that can be done without heavy machinary or serious Health and Safety issues is likely to be a busy, but manageable part of that Committee's work.
It was re-iterated that low key "furnishings" such as signs and benches were preferable to any over-development of signage etc and that the Arboretum would be absolutely separate from the Visitor Centre and not a "tourist attraction" or "Leisure facility". The parking was felt to be fully adequate, especially during weekends when access can be gained from Bentley Station, and that increased traffic on the lower part of Gravel Hill Road was undesirable.
Robert Simpson, recently co-opted by Bentley Parish Council to deal with environmental initiatives, made some interesting suggestions regarding the involvement of local artists in the design and usage of the space and all felt that, provided any installations were primarily temporary in nature, this might add to the value of the area for contemplative recreation and educational use by local schools. The memebers presented this to the full Alice Holt Forum meeting, including the Forest Enterprise representatives on 9th Februrary. There was general approval of the idea of moving forward with a management commitee (probably under a CIC) independent of the Parish Councils and FE, relying on FE for the provision of the outline management plan for validation and as a basis for our own detailed ideas and also FE providing the heavy machinary and labour for any major groundworks or felling. Then it was felt there would be no problem relying on the community for most of the work and to coming up with a fundraiser to do the work of accessing grants.
AHCF Meeting to Draft a Response to the Forestry Commission's Consultation about the long-term Role of England's Publically-Owned Forests
The Forestry Commission (Parent organisation of Forest Entrprise who run the timber and leisure at Alice Holt and Forest Research who are based at Alice Holt Lodge) has been asking interested parties and the general public to give their views about the long term direction of England's publically owned Forests: what they're here for, how they should be managed and indeed whether they even need to be publically owned. Most of the consultation was in the form of a questionnaire, which AHCF, under Colin Hall's chairmanship filled out along with a good deal of debate and discussion
You can download the full questionnaire submission with additional comments by clicking here>> (594kb pdf document)
The Forum also drafted a general statement which is reproduced here
The Alice Holt Community Forum consists of representatives from each of the 6 parish councils and villages which surround Alice Holt Forest, and local landowners. It has 10members with considerable cumulative knowledge of Alice Holt Forest and meets regularly with representatives from Forest Enterprise and Forest Research.The Forum’s response to this consultation is given in the context of Alice Holt Forest in the South East Region but the responses are not necessarily limited to Alice Holt Forest since many of the issues affecting the Forest also affect other parts of the public forest estate, both within the South East Region and nationally.
We recognise the value of the public forest estate in reconciling environmental, economic and social objectives in a manner which could not be achieved by, or expected from private owners.
We believe that the Public Forest estate has an important role to play in increasing woodland biodiversity, particularly in the face of climate change, and in landscape scale conservation projects. In particular we strongly support the restoration of planted ancient woodland sites such as Alice Holt Forest to native broadleaved forest. A priority should be to explicitly recognise the value of the Forest estate for flora and fauna and to reverse the decline in woodland biodiversity, given the unique position of the Estate in terms of size and type of land held. This is more than simply “providing a place for wildlife to live”. It should be an overriding aim at least as important as the others and more important than some eg helping people and animals to adapt to climate change”.
The consultation paper shows that the England forest estate is very small compared to the rest of Europe and eg Scotland and Wales. We need a more wooded landscape, particularly outside the South east. The private sector is unlikely to provide these new woods so the Public estate needs to. We believe the estate should be expanded by the creation of new native or mixed woodlands as part of landscape scale conservation projects or close to centres of population to provide increased accessibility to the countryside, particularly on derelict or brownfield sites, such as disused quarries or industrial sites. Land of high conservation value should not be used for woodland creation. Intensively managed farmland would be appropriate as would derelict industrial sites. Coniferous woodlands could be acquired for conversion to native or mixed woodland.We believe that the amount of 30p per person per annum is a derisory amount to be spent out of public funds, considering the public benefits the forest estate provides and would support greater public expenditure to enable the estate to fulfil its objectives.
We would not support the disposal of Alice Holt forest or indeed of any significant part of the public Forest Estate although there may be coniferous woodlands of no landscape, biodiversity or access value that could be disposed of in some more remote areas. The present limited small scale disposal policy is about right but there should be no disposals of ancient woodland except to woodland conservation charities. The definition of "safe purchaser” should be tightened for private individuals since a relevant EWG scheme will only have a short life. Long Leasehold disposals with binding covenants for the life of the lease would be more appropriate. Ownership and management could be separated, dependent on the objectives for any particular woodland, (with public ownership being maintained).
We are strongly opposed to any form of built or tented leisure development at Alice Holt Forest and we would not support such development in any other woodland within the public forest estate. Such developments and their infrastructure would result in the loss of and damage to the woodland, would be detrimental to the ecology and biodiversity of the woodland, would interfere with access rights and the quiet enjoyment of the woodland by the public and would be inconsistent with the natural environment of woodlands.. Such developments are best left to private woodland owners.
The breaking up of the Estate is the biggest threat.
Political intervention will continue to be a challenge for the Estate, as it has in the recent past with continual reviews and proposals for disposal of the whole or a significant part of the estate to raise government revenues. Long term planning is required without continued political changes of direction.
The serious decline in woodland biodiversity will continue to threaten our woodlands particularly in the face of climate change.
Lack of funds will continue to impede the proper management of the Estate and the planting of new native or mixed woodland. The Estate should not be regarded as a cash cow to be milked by government to finance government expenditure elsewhere.Increased public recognition of the need to halt the decline in biodiversity in the face of climate change should give the Estate the opportunity (with public funding) to play a prominent part in seeking to reverse the decline, particularly in the promotion or participation in landscape scale conservation projects.
The restoration of Planted Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) with native broadleaved species is a positive trend for the Estate and should not be relaxed. The Estate has the opportunity to lead on encouraging other PAWS owners to restore their ancient woodlands.
The recognition of the wider value of woodlands in society should provide opportunities for the creation by the estate of more new native woodlands, as part of landscape scale conservation project, or to provide greater accessibility to woodland near to centres of population.
The management of the public forest estate is presently self regulated. A wider level of professional scrutiny would be beneficial.
September 2009(At the "crossroads" on the Bentley to Alice Holt Lodge path) was fenced in and put out of bounds to prevent the non-native Tasmanian Stonecrop waterweed Crassula helmsii from spreading on dogs' fur. The Foresters had to treat it with non-harmful ,degradable chemical herbicides to control this highly invasive weed which would otherwise de-oxygenate the water. The fence became partly broken down and many people were confused as to whether there was still a problem and whether public access was still suspended. FE agreed to sort this out at the December 2007 Forum meeting. Sadly the outcome of their investigation was that infestation of Tasmanian Stonecrop (aka Australian Swampweed) has not gone away. But it's probably more a question of control than elimination of this rapidly spreading antipodean interloper. Now the fence has been fixed up and notices proclaiming it's a conservation area and "no fishing" have sprung up. This status will remain until September 2010 and be reviewed then.
Kennels Pond in the Lodge Inclosure
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