WPG Management Plan

Ranscombe Farm Reserve

Date (from/to) 2012 - 2032

Date of last review August 2012 [UKWAS 2.1.3]

Owner/tenant Plantlife

Agent/contact Ben Sweeney (Ranscombe Farm Reserve Warden)

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Project Office, Unit 37, Medway Space Business Centre, Knight Road, Strood, Kent, ME2 2BF

Signed declaration of tenure rights and agreements to public availability of the plan [UKWAS 1.1.3/1.1.5/2.1.2]

1 Background information

1.1 Location Nearest town, village or feature Cuxton / Strood Grid reference TQ 705680 Total area (ha) 129.66

1.2 Description of the woodland(s) in the landscape

The woodland is a very prominent feature within the landscape of the North Downs in this part of Kent, overlooking the Medway Valley and settlements below. It fits a very typical pattern found elsewhere along the Downs, that of large dense coppice woodlands on the deeper sand and clay soils on the ridge tops, and smaller shaws comprising mixed woodland and scrub on the south facing chalk slopes.

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1.3 History of Management

The ancient woodlands on the site appear to have been actively coppiced for many years. Great Wood (dominating the northern half of the site), along with Magpie Shaw, Head Barn Wood and Merrals Shaw, were almost entirely replanted with Sweet Chestnut at some time in the past, perhaps around the end of the 1700s, and have undoubtedly been managed as coppice since that time. Great Wood once formed part of the Cobham Hall Estate, and the western part (Birch Wood) was once included within the landscaped park; most of the remaining large parkland trees in this area were probably felled and removed in the 1960s immediately prior to the land being sold. Some 7 hectares of the former parkland in Birch Wood was replanted with Pine in the 1960s, and again cleared and planted in 1992 with a mixture of broadleaves, including a high proportion of Beech.

Aside from two small ancient woodland shaws, the majority of Mill Hill in the south of the site was relatively open until the early part of the 19th century. Since then, widespread planting of Beech and scrubbing over of abandoned land lead to almost complete woodland cover by the 1950s. The 1960s saw planting of Corsican Pine on Mill Hill, while further, often inappropriate planting took place following the 1987 storm in which large numbers of Beech were lost. Gaps created by the latter also resulted in large parts of the woodland becoming dominated by Sycamore.

The site was bought by Blue Circle Cement Industries in the 1960s, and throughout the following decades coppicing continued, a pheasant shoot was run, and game-keepers carried out some limited mowing of the rides and discouraged access outside of Public Rights of Way. The wider Cobham Woods SSSI, including Great Wood was subject to widespread vandalism and abuse throughout the 1980s and 90s, leading to the removal of over 100 dumped cars in 2003 following security improvements around the boundaries. The last coppicing to be undertaken prior to the sale of land to Medway Council and Plantlife was in 1999. By 2005 the woodlands were seriously neglected; coppice was very overstood in places (some Chestnut stands being 30 years old), what few rides there were had become very overgrown and shaded, and abundant debris had accumulated.

Management post-2005

The woodland became certified under UKWAS as part of a group scheme with Fountains Forestry in 2007, and the first 5- year EWGS programme was undertaken between 2007-12. Throughout this time an average of 5 hectares coppice has been harvested annually, with a focus on the oldest stands, and over 10 ha rides and glades created since 2005. In addition, within the SSSI on Mill Hill, Sycamo re and Corsican Pine have been removed from an area totalling around 2.5 ha, with the intention of being re-colonised by with native species by natural regeneration.

Commercial coppicing has been undertaken by one local forestry company since 2007. 20 ha of the Chestnut coppice harvested over this period has been aged between 26-35 years at the time of cutting. This overstood coppice has been suitable for the post-and-rail fencing market, providing a modest return. The 5 ha of mixed broadleaf coppice (mainly Ash) harvested over this time has similarly been overstood coppice marketable as logwood.

Recently along a number of rides, stumps within ride scallops have been physically removed using a large tracked mulcher. The objective over the last five years has been to balance the cost of ride widening, along with tree safety and other maintenance activities, with the income generated from coppicing and EWGS grant payments, which in general has worked adequately. Ride creation has been largely front-ended, with the vast majority work to be completed in Autumn 2012. This has been partly due to a preference for maximising the biodiversity benefits early on, and also to get the work done while it was known that funds were available.

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As part the Reserve’s Heritage Lottery Fund Grant awarded in 2010, £90k was provided to upgrade, in 2011, farm tracks within the middle of the Reserve that have vastly improved access for both day-to-day woodland management and extraction and storage of harvested timber.

The majority of maintenance work is undertaken in-house with invaluable assistance from the regular Reserve volunteer team, who carry out tasks on a weekly basis, predominantly within the woodlands. The Cuxton Countryside Group have also been actively coppicing Hazel within Mill Hill (North and South) since the early 2000s.

2 Woodland Information

2.1 Areas and features Designated Areas Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Special areas for conservation (SACs) Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Ramsar Sites (see note on Guidance) National Nature Reserves (NNRs) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) 1 Yes Yes Other designations (e.g. National Park (NP) / World Heritage Site) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) 1 Yes Yes Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) TPO / Conservation Area (CA) 1 Yes Details All woodland and farmland on the Ranscombe Farm Reserve is incorporated within the Kent Downs AONB. 98.99 ha of the woodland is part of the wider Cobham Woods SSSI, which also incorporates a 4 ha field on the Reserve supporting rare arable plants. Mill Hill and approximately half of Great Wood is covered by Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council TPOs.

Rare and important species Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Red Data Book or BAP species Yes Yes Rare, threatened, EPS or SAP species Yes Yes Details Please see attached

Habitats Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW) 3 Yes

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Other semi-natural woodland 3 Yes Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) 3 Yes Semi-natural features in PAWS 3 Yes Woodland margins and hedges Yes Yes Veteran and other notable trees 6 Yes Breeding sites Habitats of notable species Yes Yes Unimproved grasslands 6 Yes Yes Rides and open ground 7 Yes Valuable wildlife communities Yes Yes Feeding area Lowland heath Peatlands Others Details

The northern half of the Reserve is dominated by the 99 ha ASNW collectively known as Great Wood (cpt. 3), which is made up primarily of Chestnut coppice – largely in densely planted, pure stands. The Chestnut coppice is well established and generally precludes any self-sown native regeneration within coupes. But along ride and woodland edges, it is possible to identify variations on NVC W10, dependent on the underlying geology. The sand and gravel ridge which dominates the north and west of Great Wood gives rise to more acid loving tree species including Sessile Oak, Holly, and Birch, plus Rowan. At the eastern end and southern edge of Great Wood where the soils are progressively more alkaline (over clay-with-flints and chalk), Ash, Field Maple and Hazel are frequent (very occasionally as coppice trees amongst the Chestnut) and Pedunculate Oak standards. Hornbeam occurs as a sometimes small but generally consistent component across the whole of Great Wood, as pollards and occasionally as coppice, but regenerates readily wherever it is given the opportunity. Hawthorn and Goat Willow are also key colonisers of edges and rides across the board. Recent Oak regeneration is very limited and concentrated in just two areas: the southern edge of Stogarts & Drapers Wood, and the Birch Wood plantation (below).

Within Birch Wood (part of Great Wood) is a 6 ha Mixed Broadleaved PAWS, established in 1992, but not subsequently managed. The dominant planted species is Beech, followed in turn by Chestnut (there are also a number of viable, older Chestnut coppice stools), with Oak, Ash, Wild Cherry, Hornbeam and Yew also occurring in smaller quantities. The most frequent species however is Birch, which has established itself amongst the plantation; self-sown Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Holly and Sessile Oak have also exploited gaps in the canopy and along ride edges. Four 30x30m glades were created in 2011-12, along with widening of the central ride.

A number of formerly isolated smaller woodlands at the eastern end of the Reserve (Magpie Shaw – cpt.7, Head Barn Wood – cpt.6, and Quarry Shaw – cpt.8) are now connected to both Great Wood and Merrals Shaw – cpt.4 by 5.7 ha Mixed Broadleaved plantations established no more than ten years ago as part of mitigation for construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. [Though recently incorporated into the Reserve, these plantations are not on the Rural Land Register and therefore are not covered by UKWAS or EWGS.] Magpie Shaw, Head Barn Wood, and Merrals Shaw are similar to Great Wood in that they are chiefly Chestnut coppice, but contain varying proportions of Ash. There is a transition here from NVC W10 to W8.

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There is an extensive interconnected network of wide rides, glades and woodland edges throughout the Chestnut coppice woodlands, though many of these have only been created / widened in the last few years and so they are at varying stages of development in terms of their vegetation structure. Others are still to be created over the coming 5 years. South of Birch Wood is a particularly important 0.9 ha glade comprising unimproved chalk grassland and scrub. The most established ride is the Town Road, running east-west though Great Wood, but which also contains the highest concentration of mature and veteran Hornbeam.

The woodlands situated on the chalk slopes in the southern half of the Reserve are a mixture of smaller ancient broadleaved coppice shaws, and areas of secondary woodland, scrub, and 19th century plantation, which largely conform to NVC W8. Bishops Wood – cpt.1 and Longhoes Wood – cpt.5 are ASNW dominated by Ash coppice, but contain a range of other coppice trees including Hazel, Field Maple, Hornbeam, and Chestnut (and in Longhoes Wood, Sessile Oak). Standards of Oak, Chestnut, and Ash are more frequent than those within purely Chestnut coppice stands. The Southern Shaws (cpt. 9) – the belt of shaws running east-west through the Reserve contain a mixture of derelict coppice, mature standards, and a large proportion of Sycamore.

The majority of Mill Hill (cpts. 1 & 2) is OSNW dating to the 19th century, though there is some ASNW totalling up to 1 ha. Relatively few of the Beech planted in the 19th century remain (most having been lost in the 1987 Storm, or possibly felled earlier than this to make way for planted pine); the main concentrations of mature Beech are now at the eastern end of Mill Hill. They have however regenerated widely (supplemented also by further post-1987 planting), giving rise to the development of Beech woodland of mixed age, creating in places a transition to NVC W12.

The western half of Mill Hill, much of which was colonised post World War II or re-colonised post-1987, is primarily dominated by either Sycamore, or by dense thickets or pole-stage stands of Ash. Areas clear-felled of Sycamore in 2007 are regenerating primarily with Ash, though self-sown Beech and also Ash of up to 70 years old are present as occasional standards. The area to the east clearfelled of Corsican Pine in 2010 similarly contains self-sown Beech and Ash (of up to 45 years old). An ASNW ‘horseshoe’ surrounds the recent Corsican Pine clearfell, and consists of a mixture of clearfelled Pine and MB regeneration, MB coppice and a single age stand of PAWS, which was almost certainly planted in the 1960s along with the Corsican Pine, and which includes mainly Ash, Oak and Scots Pine of around 45 years old.

The south-eastern end of Mill Hill contains a mixture of Beech stands, ancient unimproved chalk grassland, Hazel coppice and secondary woodland (both dating only to the 1930s), along with dense scrub and thickets of Birch, Ash, Dogwood, and Wayfaring Tree interspersed with self-sown or planted mixed broadleaves and Yew. The central ride with connected glades created between 2005 – 2012 creates a valuable transition from woodland to scrub which supports important plant communities.

Old growth is generally quite limited, though notable features are the kilometre-long avenue of mature and veteran Hornbeam along the Town Road, occasional veteran Hornbeam pollards along the southern edge of Great Wood, older Beech on Mill Hill, and ancient Yews in the Mill Hill ASNW and Broad Oak Wood respectively. The greatest concentration of mature Oaks is the southern edge of Birch Wood; otherwise Oak standards within Chestnut coppice coupes are generally very sparse, averaging as little as 1 per ha, though for the most part this has been the case at least since the 1940s. Most of the Oaks situated within overstood coppice of 20+ years have suffered premature crown dieback and are in generally poor condition.

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Water Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Watercourses Lakes Ponds 3 Yes Yes Wetland habitats Details A small seasonal pond dating back at least 200 years is located within the plantation on Birch Wood at TQ69866837, which supported breeding Great Crested Newts in 2008. Another pond is located outside of the Reserve, directly to the north of Great Wood, within Knights Place Farm. A further pond has developed from permanently waterlogged ruts along a forestry extraction route in Stogarts & Drapers Wood at TQ708685, which will from now on be retained.

Landscape Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Landscape designated areas Landscape features Rock exposures Historic landscapes Yes Areas of the woodland prominent from roads Yes Areas of the woodland prominent from settlements Yes Details Mill Hill, Longhoes Wood and Merrals Shaw are all visible from the village of Cuxton situated in the Medway Valley below. Great Wood, along with some of the smaller woodlands, is visible from the M2 motorway, both where it runs directly adjacent to it, and also from the opposite side of the Medway Valley. Cobham Park (Grade II* listed parkland) is located immediately to the west of Great Wood, within the wider Cobham Woods SSSI.

Cultural features Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Public rights of way 5 Yes Yes Prominent viewing points Yes Yes Existing permissive footpaths 5 Yes Yes Proposed permissive footpaths Areas managed with traditional management Yes Yes systems Details The North Downs Way national trail passes through the farmed landscape in the southern half of the Reserve, and passes near or adjacent to a number of the smaller woodland blocks including Mill Hill, Longhoes Wood, and Merrals Shaw. 92.5 ha of woodland is actively managed by coppicing, the majority of which has been managed in this way consistently for at least 200 years. Adjacent parkland to the west is managed traditionally as grazed wood pasture.

Archaeological Features Map In Woodland Adjacent to No. woodland Scheduled monument

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Historical feature (Inc. designed landscapes, No Yes registered parks and gardens) Other Details There are no Scheduled Ancient Monuments within the woods. However, the Ranscombe Farm Reserve does contain a number of features of archaeological and/or historical interest. See plan 7. Key among these are:  Significant finds of Mesolithic worked flints, including some complete tools, on a ridge on the southern slopes of Birch Wood.  Finds of Neolithic worked flints from field walking in Kitchen Field.  Evidence of early cultivation in the form of lynchets on sloping valley sides, for example as at Mill Hill.  The pattern of tracks and field boundaries, which appear to go back to at least the early 1600s.  Evidence of vanished habitations, most notably an apparently medieval well on the eastern edge of Kitchen Field, from which pottery dating to around 1200AD has been excavated. Others include a possible well in a shaw next to the North Downs Way, and apparent platforms for dwellings in Stogarts & Drapers Wood.  The current Ranscombe Farm Cottages, which are on the site of a settlement dating to around 1150AD  Various earthworks, primarily within the woodland in the north and east of the site, including old wood banks, quarries and sand/clay diggings, and an artificial pond, and which are evident on LiDAR surveys of the site.

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2.2 Woodland resource characteristics

Biodiversity

The majority of plant interest within the woodland is dependent on active management. Species such as Lady Orchid are primarily associated with woodland-scrub conditions present along the edges of rides or in the early re-growth stages of coppice. The coppice woodlands also support a rich assemblage of more common vernal flora including Bluebell and Early Purple Orchid, which benefit from more regular coppicing, but which are otherwise suppressed by the closed canopy of older coppice growth. Key populations of Dormice, and birds including Nightjar and Nightingale are also dependent on coppice in its early stages. The dominance of overstood coppice has limited the conservation interest in recent years, and management should instead aim to establish a coppice rotation of 15 years.

In the largely secondary woodland of Mill Hill, key species are associated primarily with more open-canopy conditions, such as Fly Orchid and White Helleborine, or with scrubby ride margins such as Wild Columbine and Wild Liquorice. The dominance of Sycamore within parts is detrimental, and management should aim to remove it.

Permanent open spaces within rides and glades across a range of geologies are important for a range of plants, most notably Common Cudweed and Hoary Cinquefoil on more acidic sites, and plants of chalk grassland on more alkaline sites. Within the permanent open spaces, other rare and declining species are associated with regular ground disturbance, including Rough Mallow and Ground Pine. Linear rides also provide important links between areas of temporary open space for woodland invertebrates.

As predominantly a monoculture, the Chestnut coppice lacks diversity of species or structure which currently limits its conservation potential (Chestnut itself being of limited conservation value at any age); a lack of native trees of varying ages restricts habitat for birds, small mammals and invertebrates, and a lack of many mature standards limits habitat available for hole-nesters or those with a preference for a high canopy. There is much greater diversity within Mixed Broadleaved coppice stands. Within the Chestnut coppice in Merrals Shaw, Mixed Broadleaved species (primarily Ash) does comprise up to 50% of the coppice, and efforts should be made to increase this component further by reducing the Chestnut.

Both standing and fallen dead wood is very restricted across the majority of the woodland, largely due to the absence of old growth, though there are concentrations along the Town Road avenue of mature and veteran trees, and relatively larger concentrations of fallen dead wood are present within Mill Hill, resulting largely from 1987 storm damage. Habitat for lower plants and saproxylics is therefore currently limited and increasing this in the long-term should be a management priority.

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Commercial Forestry

The 82 ha Chestnut coppice (covering 63% of the total woodland) has a potentially high commercial value, occurring for the most part in pure, fast-growing, densely planted stands, marketable both as good quality fencing materials and high- calorific wood chip for biomass. The coppice ages are currently fairly evenly distributed between 0 – 24 years. The table below provides fairly broad-brush estimates of annual Chestnut production volumes depending on the rotation. Factors including variations in soil type and aspect will obviously have implications for growth rates. It is evident however that in terms of volume alone, managing the coppice on a shorter 15-year rotation in the long-term to benefit conservation, is considerably less productive overall.

Coppice age in Yield Estimated timber Average annual area Estimated average annual years Class volume / coppiced from 80 ha on production from 80 ha on hectare* rotation rotation 15 7 105 m³ 5.3 ha 560 m³ 20 9 180 m³ 4 ha 720 m³ 25 10 250 m³ 3.2 ha 800 m³ * Figures courtesy of LC Energy Ltd.

Mixed Broadleaved coppice stands make up over 12 ha, and have a potentially high commercial value as logwood, particularly the most overstood stands. The dominant species is Ash, but there is also Hazel, Hornbeam, Field Maple, Chestnut, Sessile Oak (within Longhoes Wood) and substantial Sycamore (within Bishops Wood, Quarry Shaw, and the Southern Shaws). The current age varies considerably between 0 – 60+ years. Growth rates are good, but shortening the rotation will again inevitably result in lower annual yields.

Neither the Birch Wood PAWS nor Mill Hill would be subject to large-scale harvesting operations; however there may be some value in logwood or chip produced from periodic thinnings in each. The ride and glade network, once completed over the course of the next 5 years, will be managed intensively with ride edges being coppiced on a 5-10 year cycle, which may produce modest quantities of material suitable for the wood chip market.

Public Access and Amenity

All the woodland across the Reserve has a high public amenity value.

2.3 Site description

Access to the Reserve is off the A228 (Sundridge Hill), north of the village of Cuxton and south of Junction 2 of the M2. The main access drive into the site is via the Reserve visitor car park, TQ 718673. The postcode of the private residential development occupying the former farm buildings at the centre of the Reserve is ME2 1LA. The residential development comprises of seven households. The main access road via the entrance car park is shared by the residents, the tenant farmer, Reserve activities (including forestry operations) and public access.

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There are no on-site facilities or provision for indoor storage of equipment. There is however a hard-surfaced area directly adjacent to Magpie Shaw, approximately 250m² in size, along with other smaller areas which are sufficient for stacking timber.

It is the intention to separate as much as possible, public access and forestry access. Map 8 shows all access and extraction tracks. The majority of the woodland is now accessible for 4x4 vehicles all year round. This has been made possible in recent years by the widening of woodland rides, and the upgrading in 2011 of 2 km tracks in the centre of the Reserve.

There is an established network of extraction routes across Great Wood, dating back at least to the mid 19th century but probably older. The Town Road, running east-west through Great Wood, is the only surfaced route, but this to be used exclusively for public access and occasional 4x4 vehicle use. All other tracks within the woodland are currently unmade, and vary in condition; some have never been reinstated and remain rutted.

Recent extraction from Broad Oak Wood in the northern part of the site, between 2007-10 was extremely difficult and caused widespread disturbance, partly due to the soft ground conditions, and also due to the distances involved. It is a management priority to hard-surface a core route through the middle of Great Wood that will ease harvesting across the whole woodland in the long term (see Other Operations).

Merrals Shaw has a large network of tracks relative to its size, and is generally well drained being on chalk and gravels. Mill Hill, Longhoes Wood, and some of the smaller woodlands and shaws on the Reserve are less accessible for heavy forestry machinery, though it is recognised that harvesting operations will be less frequent, and access arrangements can be made to suit accordingly.

2.4 Significant hazards, constraints and threats

Hazards

Several underground services and utilities pass through the woodland. These are displayed on Map 4 but include a GPSS oil pipeline, two gas pipelines, and a water main. Prior to woodland extraction using heavy machinery such as forwarders, the relevant organisation should be consulted.

It is planned for the overhead power cables within the southern half of the Reserve to be placed underground within the next few years.

Ecological constraints

A number of areas within and adjacent to the woodland can be regarded as being of extreme sensitivity. These areas should be avoided by all heavy machinery.

All harvesting operations should commence no sooner than 1st September, and be completed no later than 1st March to avoid the bird nesting season and to minimise the impact on other wildlife including ground flora. There are many badger

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setts, and these are also marked on the plan.

There are a large number of Public Rights of Way and permissive footpaths / bridleways within the woodland. Harvesting operations should always be well planned to ensure that public safety is not compromised in any way, and that extraction from coppice coupes is possible without disruption to the PRoW network (see Map 10).

3 Long term vision, management objectives and strategy

3.1 Long term vision Plantlife’s long-term vision for Ranscombe Farm Reserve is to develop the site as a stunning wildflower and landscape experience for members of the public, maximising heritage conservation within the site, and demonstrating innovative conservation of some of Britain’s rarest plants. As a major component (comprising around 50%) of the Reserve, the woodland will be managed primarily to maximise its value for wildlife, in particular its wild plant interest including many rare and threatened species, in a financially sustainable way. Active links will be created between woodland habitats and other habitats within the Reserve.

3.2 Management Objectives

 Increase the area and connectivity of temporary and permanent woodland open space, and early woodland regeneration stages, by coppicing on 15-year rotation and by establishing and maintaining a network of glades and wide rides with scrubby margins.

 Maintain and enhance the structural diversity of permanent rides and glades, including through the creation of disturbed areas, bare ground and temporary or permanent ponds.

 Increase diversity of native tree species, particularly by reducing dominance of chestnut and removal of sycamore.

 Increase the abundance of old growth by retaining groups of trees and individual trees as future veterans.

 Increase the quantity of standing and fallen dead wood through retention of felled timber on site and deliberate creation of standing dead wood where appropriate.

 In the management of woodland for conservation, seek to maximise economic return/minimise economic impact within the constraints of achieving the conservation objectives.

 In taking forward management of woodland and adjacent grassland and arable land for conservation, give consideration to the potential of creating a more or less intensive grazing system which would allow animals to move between the different habitats, and explore how might be practically implemented.

 Achieve favourable condition status for all woodland within the Cobham Woods SSSI.

 Maintain all existing visitor access and increase public engagement through interpretation, information, and events.

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3.3 Strategy

Strictly speaking, all woodland on the Reserve will be managed for the primary purpose of enhancing biodiversity. That is to say no commercial coppicing or other harvesting operations would be undertaken were they not recognised as integral to the improvement of the woodland habitats. However, it is recognised that particularly areas of the woodland have a greater commercial potential than others, and so the management will reflect this to maximise economic return. Broadly speaking, the Chestnut coppice woodlands predominantly in the northern half of the site are of less conservation value, but also have the greatest economic potential; Mill Hill in the south of the Reserve is comprises one of the richest areas botanically, but is of little value commercially. The Chestnut coppice woodlands will continue to be managed to generate a financial return, but with a greater degree of active intervention to increase their conservation value, much of which such as the creation of future native standards or deadwood will take many decades to realise. Mixed Broadleaved coppice will continue to be managed as such, but other than the removal of Sycamore, will require a lesser degree of intervention to increase their structural or species diversity. Mill Hill will continue to be enhanced by smaller scale interventions.

With conservation as the main driving force behind the management of the woodlands, it is recognised that potential commercial value will to some extent be sacrificed; harvesting on a 15-year rotation will be overall less productive than harvesting on e.g. a 20-year rotation. Because the aim is to coppice c.6 ha from across the woodlands every year, achieving this is reliant on securing dependable markets that guarantees the wood will be cut, rather than finding the best price for timber year-on-year. Older coupes will continue to be cut leading up to 2024, for which there may be a wider fencing market in the short term, but at the time of writing, the Chestnut stake and pale markets are poor, such that harvesting of 15-year coppice would most likely incur a cost which would make this totally impractical. However, discussions are currently underway with the Kent Downs AONB regarding a local woodfuel partnership project, in which Ranscombe could play a major role as a provider of woodchip for biomass, with a guaranteed market for 25 years. This could make a 15-year rotation practical, and maybe also relatively lucrative, though further improvements to the site infrastructure, particularly the surfacing of extraction routes within the woodland, may be necessary. Once the logistical systems are in place, it may also create the means for a wider range of woodland by-products that might otherwise be wasted (such as material from ride management) to be used productively. It is also understood that greater profit margins may be possible through logwood sales, which Mixed Broadleaved coppice would be ideal, particularly the older stands harvested in the next few years. A trial will be undertaken in 2012/13 to supply logwood locally, the outcome of which will be used to inform the strategy going forward.

Within the Chestnut coppice woodlands, all measures to increase conservation benefit including expansion of the ride / glade network, planting of standards within coupes, or conversion to Mixed Broadleaves, involve the removal or suppression of Chestnut*. This does of course result in an overall reduction in the harvestable resource that can potentially generate a financial return (below), while concurrently increasing the features in the woodland which will incur significant management costs. The retention of 65 ha Chestnut coppice is considered sufficient to provide a financial return that can support other woodland management activities. It is the aim to generate sufficient income from all coppicing and grants such that all woodland management activities are undertaken at a net minimum cost of £0.

Projected change in abundance in woodland components over 20 years

Woodland component 2012 2017 2032 UKWAS requirement Chestnut (primary species) 81.9 ha 73.4 ha 65 ha

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% total 63% 57% 50% <75% Native Broadleaves 22.6 ha 28.3 ha 26 ha*

% total 17% 22% 20% >5% Open ground 9.3 ha 12.1 ha 19 ha

% total 7% 9% 15% >10% Long-term retentions and 15.9 ha 15.9 ha 19 ha natural reserves % total 12% 12% 15% >10%

*Net decrease results from increase of native broadleaves within Chestnut coppice, coupled with addition of Birch Wood PAWS to long-term retentions and open ground

*Though a non-native species, it is not practical, nor desirable to eliminate Chestnut completely in favour of native alternatives. Successful suppression of

Chestnut is very expensive in time and money; eliminating it is quite simply impossible. Chestnut is a good coppicing tree with markets available that offer a potential financial return; whichever species replaced the Chestnut would be unlikely to provide any value in the short to medium term. Chestnut also has an important role in the woodland landscape having been established for over 200 years; the regular coppicing of Chestnut on rotation is integral to maintaining the dynamic structure across much of the woodland.

3.4 Woodfuel Initiative Would you be interested in receiving information on funding opportunities for the purchase of harvesting machinery or wood fuel boilers, or for grants that support timber production from your woodlands?

Yes

We are currently involved in discussions with the Kent Downs AONB about playing a key role as the main wood provider within a woodfuel partnership project.

4 Management prescriptions/operations

4.1 Silvicultural systems 4.1.1 Harvesting

Coppicing

Over 92 ha of the woodland is to be actively managed by coppicing; this is divided into 47 coupes ranging in size from <1 to 3.5 ha, displayed on Map 9. Maps 10-13 detail the rotation as planned over the next 20-year period, which involves c.6 ha being harvested annually in order to establish a 15 year rotation by 2024. The layout of coupes and planned rotation

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is based on consideration of the following:  Age of coppice stands; prioritisation is given to older coppice.  Accessibility of coupes; coupes closer or adjacent to primary extraction tracks are prioritised to create ‘clear paths’ to further coupes.  Impact on the landscape; smaller isolated woodland blocks contain smaller coupes, and for the most part adjacent coupes are not cut less than two years apart, or at least are not cut until the re-growth has reached at least 2.0 metres (UK Forestry Standard 1998).  Habitat connectivity; almost all coupes are situated alongside ride or woodland edges.

Felling will be commenced no earlier than 1st September, and be completed by 1st March each year, and will be undertaken using chainsaws. Stem wood and debris from the cutting is to be disposed of to leave the site clear, unless (a) deer browsing is found to have an impact on re-growth, in which instance it will be piled over the stools for their protection, or (b) wet ground conditions require the use of brash mats to minimise damage during extraction.

Extraction will be undertaken primarily using a forwarder; winter extraction is anticipated in the case of harvesting for fencing materials, but summer extraction might be a possibility for coppice harvested for woodchip and logwood as it can season on-site. Extraction of logwood from small scale coupes may be undertaken by 4x4 in more ecologically sensitive locations e.g. where badger setts are present.

Chestnut coppice

The majority of existing Chestnut coppice will continue to be managed by coppicing. The 81.9 ha of Chestnut is currently divided into 37 coupes ranging in size from 1 to 3.5 ha, with an average of 5-6 ha to be harvested annually. For the first five years of this plan 26.7 ha will be harvested, with the age of Chestnut at the time of cutting being between 21- 27 years. Existing native standards will be retained, and where necessary additional singled Chestnut coppice stems will be retained to achieve 15 standards per hectare.

Mixed Broadleaved coppice

Mixed Broadleaved coppice coupes are smaller, not exceeding 1 ha in size, which reflects the smaller scale of the woodland blocks of which they are a part, and also the smaller scale of the overall resource. An average of 1 ha will be harvested every 1 ½ to 2 years. All existing standards (excluding Chestnut and Sycamore) will be retained, along with good quality singled coppice stems (primarily of Ash) to achieve 15 per hectare. Greater care should be taken during harvesting to avoid disturbance of the woodland understorey, which is largely absent from Chestnut coupes.

Conversion of Chestnut coppice to Mixed Broadleaves

A proportion of the Chestnut coppice will be converted to Mixed Broadleaves over the life of the 20-year plan. The focus of this will be across 3.2 ha within Merrals Shaw where Mixed Broadleaves (primarily Ash) already account for up to 50% of the tree stock, and where the natural regeneration rate of Ash is high. The re-growth of Chestnut coppice stools will be controlled immediately following harvesting by a combination of cutting and chemical treatment. A proportion of the Ash coppice stems will be retained in order to provide a seed source. The subsequent harvesting in 20 years will include Mixed Broadleaved coppice and dense stands of pole-stage Ash, the latter of which may be coppiced to create new stools. Better quality Ash stems can be retained to grow on as standards, though the required density can be decided at the

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commencement of the subsequent 20-year plan.

Introduction of native standards

A future generation of native standards will be created across the Chestnut coppice, with a focus on Pedunculate and Sessile Oak, which are currently very scarce. Due to the vigorous rates of re-growth from Chestnut coppice stools, establishment of new standards will only be possible through the suppression of Chestnut, leading to an overall reduction in each coupe by up to 10%.

Ride creation

Around 2.5 ha of the Chestnut coppice will be taken out of rotation permanently over the next 5 years, to create new additions to the woodland ride network. Coppice will be harvested in the creation of ride scallops up to 30m in width and 100m in length. In between scallops pinch points will be retained where the ride narrows, including pinch points at the points of entry into the wood. This will prevent the creation of a wind tunnel effect.

Thinning

Felling of all Sycamore within c.3.5 ha of Mill Hill will be carried out gradually over 10 years commencing in 2014. The purpose of this will be to remove invasive species and also to open up the canopy to encourage ground flora and understorey development. 10% of Sycamore stems will be retained but treated by ring-barking or similar to create premature veteran characteristics. A further 20% of felled trees will be retained on-site in log piles to provide deadwood habitat. Due to the sensitivity of the site and difficulties with access, low impact extraction methods should be used. Sycamore will also be removed from the Southern Shaws in later plan phases.

The 6 ha PAWS within Birch Wood will be gradually thinned of planted Beech and Chestnut by up to 50% over 10 years commencing in 2015, in order to reduce the dominance of these species and to encourage self-sown regeneration of native species including Oak, Hornbeam, Holly, and Hawthorn to create a species-diverse, mixed-age woodland structure that can provide future old-growth stands. Thinnings will also be designed to create greater connectivity between the existing ride and glades. 10% of Beech and Chestnut stems will be retained but treated by ring-barking or similar to create premature veteran characteristics. A further 20% of felled trees will be retained on-site in log piles to provide deadwood habitat. Due to the sensitivity of the site and difficulties with access, low impact extraction methods should be used.

Both items of work are outside of the current 5-year EWGS programme and will require felling licences for any single stems >8cm DBH, or coppice stems >15cm DBH, as well as requiring TPO consent for all felling.

Clearfelling

All Sycamore within 0.3 ha of Quarry Shaw will be felled within the first five years of this plan.

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4.1.2 Phased felling and restructuring of plantations

N/A

4.1.3 Establishment, restocking and regeneration

Chestnut Coppice

Restocking will be achieved primarily by stool re-growth, and experience to date has shown that growth rates are good. The EWGS requirement for all coppice is re-growth of 1.5 metres within 3 years of cutting; recent Chestnut re-growth rates have been observed between 1.5 – 2 metres within the first year, and sometimes higher, particularly on the more fertile clay soils. The close planting of the Chestnut, vigorous rates of re-growth, and absence of other seeding tree stock will leave however minimal opportunities for self sown regeneration by native species without active intervention (see below – ‘planting of standards within Chestnut coppice’).

Mixed Broadleaved Coppice

Restocking post-harvesting will be achieved primarily by stool re-growth. Recent re-growth rates have been observed of 1.5m within the first year for Ash, Hazel and Field Maple; Ash re-growth may be delayed in the first year if harvested late in the season, but may otherwise achieve heights of 4 metres in 3 years. Hornbeam, though slower, will achieve 1.5 metres within 3 years. Natural regeneration by self-sown trees within the gaps between stools is more likely than within the much denser Chestnut coppice. A proportion of whips will be selected to grow on to provide future mature standards and veteran tree habitat, with a view to establishing 10 new trees per hectare. Others in excess of this will be harvested to manage as new coppice stools. Other self-sown tree species such as Field Maple and Hawthorn will be allowed to develop as an understorey component.

Conversion of Chestnut coppice to Mixed Broadleaves

In selected parts of Merrals Shaw where conversion to Mixed Broadleaved coppice is undertaken, all Chestnut re-growth will be controlled by cutting or chemical treatment to achieve re-colonisation by native species (predominantly Ash) by natural regeneration. All native coppice stools will be retained and allowed to re-grow. The required Forestry Commission rate for re-colonisation by native broadleaves is >1100 trees per hectare within 5 years. In the event of poor regeneration rates, then heavy seeding may be undertaken using locally sourced seed, ideally from elsewhere within the Reserve or from within a 5-mile radius. The cause of this should however be considered; damage due to deer browsing for instance may have wider implications for the woodland.

Woodland rides

In situations where Chestnut is cleared to create new rides, re-colonisation by native trees along the ride edges will be achieved through self-sown regeneration. If however after 5 years the regeneration rates are poor, the use of locally sourced imported seed may be required (this is most likely anticipated within pure Chestnut stands).

Other Mixed Broadleaved Woodland

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Restocking within all other Mixed Broadleaved woodland including Mill Hill and the Birch Wood PAWS, will also be achieved primarily by natural regeneration. Exceptions may be where the rate of self-sowing is low, and the restocking rate does not reach that specified within felling conditions. It may be appropriate therefore to introduce locally sourced seed.

Planting of standards within Chestnut coppice

A future generation of native standards will be created across the Chestnut coppice, with a focus on Pedunculate and Sessile Oak, which are currently very scarce, but which also may include Ash and Hornbeam. The target rate of establishment is 10 Oaks per hectare, though this may vary across the site between aiming ultimately to establish a single mature tree, or groups of mature trees.

4.2 New planting Proposed additions to guidance to clarify consideration of design impacts etc. [UKWAS 3.2.1/3.2.2], to add reference to local native seed zones and FRM regulations [UKWAS 6.3.3].

There will be no additional woodland planting.

4.3 Other operations Proposed additions to guidance to clarify consideration of design impacts etc. [UKWAS 3.2.1/3.2.2], to add reference to local native seed zones and FRM regulations [UKWAS 6.3.3].

Upgrading a proportion of existing forestry extraction tracks within Great Wood to a hard surface is intended to be undertaken within the period of this plan, in order to facilitate future harvesting. The overall length that is resurfaced will depend on funding available, but could total 1.5 km. However the priority is to create a core route through the middle of the woodland onto which other existing tracks feed onto (see Map 8 showing priority routes and secondary routes for upgrading). This is essential for the harvesting of coppice coupes within Broad Oak Wood (access to which is otherwise bad), which is planned to commence from 2018. A phased approach may be necessary, carried out as funding becomes available.

Since all surfacing is planned to be carried out on existing tracks, damage to the woodland would be minimal. The only exceptions are where the track crosses the Town Road (where an additional connection of 50m would need to be made) and where in Stogarts & Drapers Wood, existing deep ruts have created a pond that may require the surfaced track to be diverted a short way into the coppice. It is likely however that the ecological benefits of the pond will outweigh the loss of a dozen or so Chestnut coppice stools.

SSSI consent will be required for all track works within Great Wood.

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4.4 Protection and maintenance 4.4.1 Pest and disease management

Japanese Knotweed occurs in one very small area on the corner of Longhoes Wood adjacent to the main access drive. This is controlled by cutting and in-situ burning at least twice a year. This has so far proved effective, though targeted chemical treatment may be considered in the future.

Synthetic chemical herbicides have not been used within the woodland at least within the last five years. Control of invasive species, namely Sycamore and Buddleia within Mill Hill, and Sweet Chestnut within small selected areas of Great Wood, may be undertaken with targeted application of Glyphosate or similarly approved chemical, though this would be carried out in conjunction with a cutting regime. All chemical use within the SSSI would need permission from Natural England.

A Fallow Deer population is present on the Reserve. The population is believed to be highly mobile along the North Downs escarpment to the south of the Reserve as far as Trottiscliffe; numbers fluctuate, with considerably less activity observed over the past year. To date browsing activity has had negligible impact on woodland regeneration, and the situation will continue to be monitored.

The grey squirrel and rabbit populations do not appear to be sufficiently large to present a problem to the woodland.

4.4.2 Fire plan

The broadleaved woodland at Ranscombe is considered to be of low risk of fire overall, however incidents pre-2005 within Great Wood suggest that adequate precautions need to be taken to prevent their spread. These will largely be addressed through wider woodland management activities.

Any past major incidents of fire tended to develop as a combined result of widespread antisocial activity (including burning of dumped cars), minimal visitor usage of PRoW which limited rapid reporting, and the inaccessibility of the woodland to the fire service. Small fires were allowed to smoulder for several days having not been observed early on; dense build- ups of dry bracken thatch on top of the ridge at the western end of Great Wood and within neighbouring Cobham Park were particularly susceptible, and fire spread more easily to the woodland trees.

Bracken is now controlled as part of ride management in Great Wood, and by regular cutting and cattle grazing within Cobham Park. The wide ride network being developed through Great Wood provides fire breaks between woodland blocks. The majority of woodland is accessible to fire engines with tracks along woodland rides being firm enough during hot, dry periods when fire poses most of a risk. A greater level of visitor usage means that incidents of fire resulting from antisocial activity are promptly reported.

Controlled bonfires are used regularly during the Autumn and Winter forestry season by contractors, staff and volunteers alike, as a means of disposing of excess brash. Appropriate working practices are adopted to prevent spread of fire, and harm to visitors, as outlined in Risk Assessments.

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4.4.3 Waste disposal and pollution It is not foreseen that management will be producing any significant quantities of waste other than forestry waste i.e. lop and top resulting from harvesting.

However, the disposal of any waste is to be undertaken in a way that minimises any negative environmental impacts, including:  Disposal of chemical containers using a licensed waste disposal contractor.  Removal of fly tipping or other waste dumping using appropriate contractors where necessary (waste deep within the woodland will become gradually more accessible as coppicing progresses).  Recycling of materials wherever appropriate.  Use of biodegradable lubricants wherever possible.  Accidental spillages to be managed by ensuring contractors and other workers have a spillage kit during operations.

With regards forestry waste, the woodchip biomass market could potentially make use of lop and top generated by the harvesting process. It is the longer term intention to minimise the quantity of forestry waste by going down this route.

4.4.4 Protection from unauthorised activities Compared with the extremely high levels of activity a decade ago, current unauthorised activities are fairly infrequent, but are known to include:  Off road vehicles, including motorbikes, quad bikes, 4x4s  Vandalism, primarily to on-site furniture such as fencing, signage, and waymarker posts  Firearms, predominantly air rifles  Fire, predominantly camp fires  Littering, and occasional fly-tipping  Wildlife crime, namely badger baiting and deer poaching

Vehicle access is limited at all entrance points around the perimeter of the Reserve; the two railways that bound the Reserve on two sides provide effective barriers, through which the limited access points are secure, though still accessible for smaller motorcycles. The main entrance (which has shared use with the residents and tenant farmer) is secured with electronically operated gates (installed in 2012) and a 6’6” height barrier.

Known incidents of firearms use, wildlife crime, and serious vandalism are reported to the police immediately. Other incidents are dealt with promptly, and all activity is carefully monitored.

The active management of the woodlands is considered to play a very important role in reducing unauthorised activities. The ‘opening up’ of the woodland through coppicing and ride widening has perhaps made it less appealing for undertaking certain activities, while equally making it more appealing for legitimate users, many of whom are very proactive in reporting incidents.

The current key site for antisocial activity is the northern part of Merrals Shaw / Quarry Shaw area; both will be subject to harvesting within the next 5 years, though selective felling in particular problem areas may be required prior to then.

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4.4.5 Protection of other identified services and values

N/A

4.5 Game management There is no intention to undertake any form of game management within the woodland, the primary purpose of which is to provide safe, quiet recreation of the countryside. A pheasant shoot was formerly run by the previous landowner; a feral population of pheasants is still present, and remains of pheasant pens are dismantled and removed as and when they become more accessible as coppicing progresses.

4.6 Protecting and enhancing landscape, biodiversity and special features 4.6.1 Management of designated areas

99 ha of the woodlands are within the Cobham W oods SSSI, and the current management aims serve also the broader aims of restoring the SSSI to favourable condition as set out by Natural England.

4.6.2 Measures to enhance biodiversity and other special features [UKWAS 2.1.1/6.1.1]

As stated previously, all woodland on the Reserve is managed primarily to enhance biodiversity. However, by excluding all woodland that serves a dual purpose i.e. commercial coppicing, then Map 7 and the table below illustrates how the main biodiversity features are arranged, and set to increase over the 20-year period.

Areas managed for % of all % of all % of all woodland UKWAS biodiversity woodland in woodland in in 2032 requirement (for 2012 2017 SNW) Long-term retention 2.9 2.9 5.7 >1 Natural reserves 9.3 9.3 9.3 >5 Open ground (rides & 7.2 9.3 15 >10 glades) Total 19.4 21.5 30.0 >15

Long-term retentions include the Hornbeam avenue along the Town Road, derelict coppice stands within Merrals Shaw, Quarry Shaw, and Cobham Shaw, and the shaw within the Southern Valley. All will be managed to retain the current or future habitat value of the older trees present (including veteran trees and deadwood), and to encourage regeneration where possible to provide future habitat continuity. Trees are to be retained indefinitely; trees will not be felled unless they pose a direct threat to public safety (see below). There are however additional long-term retentions which it is more difficult to quantify, and these include all other existing native standards throughout the woodland, which will be retained for their current or future habitat potential. The increase in long-term retentions over the period reflects the inclusion of

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the 6 ha Birch Wood PAWS, which will be managed to promote regeneration of native species and future old growth woodland habitat.

The whole of Mill Hill is defined as a permanent natural reserve due to high conservation importance. Non-intervention is not deemed an appropriate method of management, since its value depends on a range of activities including management of open space, thinning (in particular by removal of invasive Sycamore) and coppicing of Hazel. Older growth stands and fallen deadwood are also locally abundant, and management will seek to enhance these where possible.

Management of veteran trees

To enhance current and future veteran tree habitat across the whole woodland, the following general principles will be followed:  All trees with veteran tree characteristics identified and plotted in the survey conducted in 2008 will be retained unchanged, except in cases where public safety necessitates felling or tree surgery work.  In case of the above, alternative measures such as diverting the access route should be first considered. If this is not possible, a standing stem will be retained wherever possible in order to retain habitat, and felled material will be retained in situ.  The survey will be updated regularly to include trees identified as having veteran tree potential.  Particularly in areas of overstood Chestnut coppice, work will be carried out to remove heavy shading from around mature and veteran standards. This will be carried out gradually to reduce the level of shock to the tree e.g. several years prior to harvesting of surrounding coppice, or siting ride edges to incorporate haloing of standards.  Where opportunities arise, particularly in areas where veteran trees are scarce, selected trees will be managed to provide similar conditions, such as deliberately removing sections of the stem bark, or tearing of larger limbs several metres from the main stem to create ecological niches. This will be appropriate particularly during the removal of Sycamore from Mill Hill, and thinning within the Birch Wood PAWS.  The creating of a new generation of native standards will be created to provide future veteran tree habitat.

Management of deadwood habitat

To increase the abundance of deadwood across the whole woodland, the following general principles will be followed:  Where existing deadwood levels are low, these will be increased where opportunities arise through the creation of log and brash piles, with a view to achieving 20m³ per hectare.  Standing trees or windblown trees that are dead or dying will be left standing wherever it is safe to do so. Prior to felling, alternative measures such as diverting the access route should be first considered. If this is not possible, a standing stem will be retained wherever possible in order to retain habitat, and felled material will be retained in situ.  A proportion of branch wood arising from felling work will not be burned but instead will be reduced by repeatedly cutting into the piles.  New deadwood habitat will ideally be provided where it builds upon any existing deadwood reserves.  Newly created deadwood in areas with little existing resource will be positioned in shade, close to internal open areas where flowering plants will provide food for adult invertebrates.  Smaller trees dying from over-shading will be left to become deadwood rather than being ‘tidied up’.

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Management of open ground

Open ground is made up of the network of permanent glades and linear rides within the woodland, and includes a range of habitats from annually cut grassland / bare ground to young scrub maintained on a short rotation. This network also includes non-woodland habitats; areas of species-rich semi-natural grassland and scrub within Mill Hill and Great Wood. The current extent of managed open ground is 9.3 ha. This will be increased by 2.8 ha over the first 5 years, and by a further 7.4 ha by the end of the 20-year plan, so that open ground / scrub comprises 15% of the total woodland area.

The management of rides across the whole woodland is for the most part based on the three-zone system; a central grass zone (zone 1) will be maintained by annual cutting, with mixed herbaceous and shrub zones on one or two sides (zones 2 and 3), maintained by biannual cutting and short rotation coppice respectively. This will over time lead to the development of a transitional ecotone from bare ground to the mature woodland / coppice stands. Within all zones existing native standards will be retained, and new standards encouraged; the density will vary depending on each ride’s individual characteristics. The rides vary in their structural development, in particular new rides cut into the Chestnut coppice lack structural or species diversity. However the long term intention across all rides is to gradually move away from a uniform zoning, to achieve a more mixed zoning dependent on the patterns of regeneration and response of the ground flora. In some select cases, targeted measures will be undertaken to create particular habitat conditions within areas of open ground, such as scarifying the soil to create ground disturbance, or establishing seasonal ponds.

Planning for how to achieve an additional 7.4 ha open ground between 2017 - 32 will be undertaken over the first 5 years, and will require further discussion with Medway Council, Forestry Commission, and Natural England. In addition over this first 5 years, the potential viability of managing permanent open ground through the use of low intensity grazing systems, particularly with links across to adjacent arable and grassland habitats, will be investigated.

Detailed prescriptions for all rides and glades are provided in the appendices.

4.6.3 Special measures for ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW) and semi-natural woodland (SNW)

Restoring semi-natural characteristics

The increase in species and structural diversity, particularly within the Chestnut coppice, is key to achieving restoration of semi-natural conditions within the woodland.

Lower impact systems

Coppice and coppice-with-standards are lower impact systems that will be employed as the prime means of harvesting across the woodlands.

Control of non-native species

In addition to planned felling of larger trees, all Sycamore and Buddleia regeneration will be removed from across the woodlands, by a combination of cutting and chemical treatment. Within Whiteleaves Wood on Mill Hill, stump re-growth will be cut back every 2 years; chemical treatment will not be used due to the advanced state of woodland regeneration.

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Within the former Corsican Pine plantation and north-south glade cut in 2012, Sycamore re-growth will be controlled by a combination of chemical treatment and cutting. All other Sycamore re-growth along other rides and glades within Mill Hill will be controlled by annual / biannual cutting only, due to the sensitivity of the ground flora.

Sourcing of native seed

All native tree seed used for restocking will aim to be sourced from elsewhere within the Reserve. If this is not possible due to poor Oak mast years for instance, seed may be sourced from within a 5 mile radius of the site, preferably from other sites within the North Downs AONB.

4.6.4 Special measures for plantation on ancient woodland site (PAWS)

The 6 ha PAWS within Birch Wood will be gradually thinned of planted Beech and Chestnut by up to 50% over the next 20 years in order to reduce the dominance of these species and to encourage self-sown regeneration of native species including Oak, Hornbeam, Holly, and Hawthorn to create a species-diverse, mixed-age woodland structure that will be managed as long-term retention to provide future old-growth stands. Thinnings will also be designed to create greater connectivity between the existing ride and glades.

The small area of PAWS within Mill Hill will serve as part of the wider natural reserve managed for biodiversity. No PAWS on the site is planned to be managed for timber production. The planted trees are intended to provide a future mature woodland component as habitat in their own right.

4.6.5 Measures to mitigate impacts on landscape and neighbouring land [UKWAS 3.1.2]

 Coppicing coupe size will not exceed 3.5 ha, which will limit the visual impact in the landscape.

 Wherever possible, transitions will be created between the woodland and adjoining habitats within the Reserve. Examples of this include the southern edge of Birch Wood, along which the ride is managed with active connections to calcareous grassland immediately adjacent (both of which support populations of Meadow Clary), and Mill Hill, which contains fragments of chalk grassland and which has potential for habitat links with Brockles. Opportunities will be explored over the next 5 years for linking these together using low intensity livestock grazing.

 The transition with the open wood pasture in Cobham Park immediately to the west of Great Wood will be enhanced by active management of the Town Road ride; continuity will be provided to both the open ground habitat, and the veteran tree habitat of each. Management of the Birch Wood PAWS (former parkland) as future long-term retention with ride and glades will similarly provide habitat connectivity to the parkland.

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4.7 Management of social and cultural values 4.7.1 Archaeology and sites of cultural interest

The locations of an extensive selection of archaeological features are already digitally mapped, though further investigation is ongoing. Plans will continue to be consulted prior to woodland management operations taking place, and action will be taken to minimise their disturbance. Operations that require particularly careful planning are woodland extraction using forwarders, the use of forest mulchers to remove stumps along rides, and any future upgrading of woodland tracks, which may cause disturbance to earthworks or buried features.

4.7.2 Public access and impacts on local people

There are 5.2 km designated Public Footpaths within the woodlands, along with a further 1.7 km waymarked permissive paths, and 2.8 km other unmarked paths along which access is allowed (Map 5). 4.1 km of the paths also double up as permissive bridleways. These have all been created since the Reserve was established.

The ongoing management of woodlands aims to make them overall a more accessible place, and the Reserve staff team actively work to engage local people with the site as a whole. Local understanding of coppicing and other smaller scale felling operations as being an integral part of the management of the woodlands is continually building. This will be further improved by continuing to inform people through the use of on-site information, and by running regular events throughout the year. The developing wide ride network in Great Wood has, and will continue to improve visitor access by allowing what were previously very wet and often waterlogged tracks to dry out and become accessible all year round, as well as being more visually inviting.

The long established network of woodland tracks make it is possible to carry out extraction from coppice coupes with only minimal disruption to PRoW (Map 8). Where extraction routes cross PRoW, measures will need to be taken to ensure that public access and safety is not compromised; in wet conditions, ground reinforcement materials may be necessary, and warning signage will be required at all crossing points to alert the public. It may be necessary to temporarily divert some permissive paths in order to extract from the most inaccessible coupes. All log stacking areas are situated away from routes that are accessible to the public, and signed accordingly.

5 Consultation

Organisation/individual Comment Medway Council (landowner of Regular correspondence with Greenspace Development Manager part of site and local authority) (quarterly meetings) and TPO Officer, including two on-site meetings held in March and August 2012. All work agreed for intial 5-year period. Gravesham Borough Council TPO consents given for all felling over initial 5-year period as part of (local authority) EWGS consultation undertaken by FC. Forestry Commission Natural England Cuxton Parish Council Verderers standard letter received from Clerk ?? Local residents / visitors Prior to annual management activities temporary signage will continue to

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be used near to work areas. Tenant farmer Verderers standard letter received ?? Ranscombe Farm Reserve volunteer team Residents of private Ranscombe One Verderers standard letter received ?? development (7 households). Knights Place Farm Seven Verderers standard letters sent out, with one response received. (neighbouring landowner and livery stables who use the site for access) National Trust (neighbouring Regular correspondence at quarterly Cobham-Shorne Countryside land owner within Cobham Partnership meetings. Verderers standard letter received ?? Woods SSSI) KCC Community Archaeologist Member of Ranscombe volunteer team in regular contact. Verderers standard letter sent but no response received.

6 Monitoring plan summary

Objective Indicator Method of Monitoring Responsibility How will information be number, issue assessment period used or UKWAS Requirement Maintain safety of Tree safety November To assess whether, and to public access survey each year what extent tree surgery routes works need to be carried out for public safety. Enhance Species counts conservation value of the woodlands

7 Work programmes

7.1 Outline long-term work programme (2017 - 2032) (Use this table to outline medium to long term areas of work) Cpt. Ref or Activity Year (tick) Name 6-10 11-20

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Cpts. 1, 5 Coppicing of 1 ha Mixed Broadleaves every 1.5 - 2 years.   Cpts. 3, 4, Coppicing of 5-6 ha Chestnut per year across compartments;   6, 7 restocking to achieve 10 native standards per ha within 3, 6 and 7, and conversion to native broadleaves of 3.5 ha within 4. Cpt. 1 Phased removal of Sycamore from 3.5 ha over 10 years from 2014. Cpt. 4 Control Chestnut all re-growth within cpt in favour of native   broadleaves, including across further 4.5 ha post-coppicing. Birch Wood Thinning of Beech and Chestnut from 6 ha over 10 years from  PAWS (Cpt. 2015. 3) Cpts. 1 and Investigate potential viability of managing open ground 3 through use of low intensity grazing systems. Undertake

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Woodland Management Plan 7.2 Short-term work programme (2012 - 2016) (Use this table to collect basic inventory data for the woodland areas you propose to work during the next 5 years) Cpt. Ref / Area Main P. Year Yield Activity Year

Name (ha) Species (date of Class 1 2 3 4 5 last cut)  1aiii – 1.0 MB 1950? Fell all coppice stems; retain all existing standards plus singled stems to  Bishops achieve at least 15/ha. Restock by stump re-growth and natural Wood regeneration. All Sycamore re-growth to be controlled. 1ai/ii 2.0 MB 2007/1 Control all Sycamore stump re-growth / natural regeneration by manual /  1 mechanical cutting. 1b MB 2007 Control all Sycamore stump re-growth / natural regeneration by manual /  mechanical cutting. 1e 1.5 MB 2010 Control all Sycamore stump re-growth / natural regeneration by manual /      mechanical cutting and/or chemical treatment. 1h – Mill 0.6 MB Coppice all Hazel; retain all existing standards. 30% of cpt to be worked      Hill over 5 years. North 1 – ride Maintain existing open ground / scrub areas by managing as 3-zone system.      & glades 2b – Mill 1.1 MB Coppice all Hazel; retain all existing standards. 30% of cpt to be worked      Hill over 5 years. South 3.10 – 2.0 SC 1990 Fell all coppice stems; retain all existing standards plus singled stems to  Birch achieve at least 15/ha. Restock by stump re-growth and natural Wood regeneration by native broadleaves. 3.11 2.0 SC 1990 As above 

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Woodland Management Plan 3.12 3.0 SC 1990 As above  3.18 – 2.0 SC 1991/2 As above  S&G 3.19 3.0 SC 1991/2 As above  3.21 2.5 SC 1993? As above  3.22 3.5 SC 1993? As above  3.35 0.5 MB 1990 As above  3.37b 0.1 MB Fell all Hawthorn and Hazel, along with Birch and <20 Hornbeam. Restock  by stump re-growth, to be managed as short rotation scrub on 5 yr cycle. 3.38b 0.7 MB/SC 1993/8 Fell all coppice stems to widen ride to <30m; retain all standards (primarily  Hornbeam). 3.40b 0.4 MB/SC 1990 Fell coppice stems (mainly Chestnut, Hazel, Ash) to widen ride <15m.  Retain all standards and mature Hornbeam coppice stems on southern edge. 3.41 1.2 SC 1991/5 Fell all coppice stems to create 4-scalloped ride <30m. Retain all existing  standards. Remove Chestnut stumps within each scallop by up to 15m in from track, using tracked forest mulcher. 3 – 6.0 MB 1992 Maintain open ground / scrub along central ride by managing as 3-zone      Birch system. Retain all young Oaks within ride. Cut four 30x30m glades Wood annually, with edges cut on 5-year rotation. PAWS 4b – 1.5 MB/SC 1988 As 3.10, but retain Hornbeam stems to grow on, and with subsequent  Merrals control carried out annually of all Chestnut re-growth within sub-cpt to Shaw favour of natural regeneration by native broadleaves. Control Sycamore re- growth. 4c 2.0 SC 1988 As 3.10, with subsequent control carried out annually of all Chestnut re-   growth within sub-cpt to favour of natural regeneration by native broadleaves. 4di 1.0 MB/SC 2009 Cutting back of Chestnut re-growth across whole sub-cpt to support natural      regeneration of native broadleaves. ______WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 28

Woodland Management Plan 4e 1.0 SC 1988 Fell all coppice stems to widen existing rides to <30m, as part of felling    adjacent coppice in 4b and 4c. Retain all existing standards. 5f – 0.8 MB 1950? Fell all coppice stems; retain all existing standards (mainly Oak) plus singled  Longhoe stems to achieve at least 15/ha. Restock by stump re-growth and natural s Wood regeneration. All Sycamore re-growth to be controlled. 6a – 2.2 SC 1991 As 3.10  Head Barn Wood 6b 0.7 MB/SC 1991 Fell all coppice stems to widen existing rides to <30m, as part of felling  adjacent coppice in 6a. Retain all existing standards. 8b – 0.4 MB 1940 Selectively fell all Sycamore; all re-growth to be controlled in favour of      Quarry natural regeneration by native broadleaves. Work undertaken over 5 Shaw seasons in August-September when adjacent arable field clear.

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Woodland Management Plan

8 Costing Operations

Outline projected costs and income over plan period. Please read guidance note for further information.

9 Maps

It is recommended that you show as much information on subject based maps as possible. For example, a map showing site constraints or a concept map showing the main proposals.

List all maps here and append to plan:

Map no./Title Description Map 1 Designations (AONB, SSSI, TPO) Map 2 Ranscombe Farm Boundary and Woodlands Map 3 Woodland Habitats Map 4 Map of Constraints (excluding Public Access) Map 5 Public Access Map 6 Veteran Trees Map 7 Management for Biodiversity (outlining all proposed works) Map 8 Forestry Access and Extraction Map 9 Coupe Plan Map 10 Harvesting 2012-17 Map 11 Harvesting 2017-22 Map 12 Harvesting 2022-27 Map 13 Harvesting 2027-32

10 Thinning, felling and restocking proposals

The template and guidance should be carefully followed to aid production of a good management plan, and ensure that we can pay the grant. Most of the template will need to be completed by everyone, but the following sections are not compulsory, unless you wish to apply for woodfuel grants or Category B approval.

 You must complete Section 10, Table A if you want to use the plan to gain Wood Fuel WIG support or seek funding through other wood fuel initiatives.

 You must complete Section 10, Table B if you want to gain 10 year thinning and felling approval and / or meet the requirements of Category B. This section should not be completed for any other applications.

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Woodland Management Plan

10.1 Table A Applicants seeking funding through a woodfuel initiative for harvesting machinery or wood fuel boilers, or wishing to apply for EWGS Woodfuel WIG must provide basic inventory data (WPG template 7.2) and estimate the total volume that is to be thinned and felled during the period of this plan, by completing Table A.

(Using inventory data from table 7.2, complete a timber volume estimate) Estimated volume to be harvested during work Cpt(s) Main Species Total work Area periods (m3) (from table 7.2) (BL/Con) (ha) Yr 1 - 5 Yr 6 - 10 Yr 11 - 20

Example 1a, 2, 3 Con 7.2 300 - -

1a BL 1 80

3 BL 23.2 4017 5745.1 (25.4)

4 BL 3.5 649 676 (3.5)

5 BL 0.8 99.2 148.8 (1.2) 144 (1.8)

6 BL 2.9 626.4

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Woodland Management Plan

10.2 Table B This section must be fully completed by the applicant if they wish to gain felling licence approval from the Forestry Commission. The work detailed below must match the proposals set out in the plan. For details on how to complete this table, please refer to EWGS4 – Woodland Regeneration for guidance and Tree Felling guidance.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 14. 12. Cpt. / Area % area to Type of % of felled area Felling Change in woodland Preferred Restock mixture % Estab. Notes / Details Sub (ha) be worked felling comprising: licence type claim Species % by natural

Cpt. BL CON type From To year regen Standard proposals 1a 2.7 30% SF - 100 C PAWS Nat 11/12 POK 40% 10% 1(i) example

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Knights Place Ranscombe Farm Strood Boundary & Woodlands

Temple Wood Broad Oak Wood Cobham Park

Great Wood (SSSI) Clay Pond Wood

Stogarts & CTRL 1 Drapers Wood Birch Wood Head Barn Wood

Cobham Shaw CTRL 2 Magpie Leisure Plots Shaw Kitchen Quarry Field Shaw CTRL 3 (SSSI)

Bishops Wood Ranscombe (SSSI) Farm Cottages Merrals Shaw

Brockles Field Mill Hill North (SSSI) Southern Shaws Longhoes Wood

Mill Hill South

Cuxton

Woodland Habitats

Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland

Chestnut Coppice

Mixed Broadleaved Coppice

Mixed Broadleaved PAWS

Other Mixed Broadleaved

Semi-Natural Woodland

Mixed Broadleaved Coppice

Mixed Broadleaved Woodland & Scrub

Chalk Grassland & Scrub

Modern Plantation

Constraints (excluding public access routes)

Areas of extreme ecological sensitivity

Badger setts

Private land

Land in arable cultivation

Pasture

Wells / sink holes

Oil Pipeline

Gas Mains

Water Mains

Overhead Powerlines

Public Access

PRoW - footpaths

PRoW with permissive multi-user access

Permissive footpaths

Permissive multi-user paths

Non-waymarked paths

Car Park P

P

Management for Biodiversity

Coppicing of Chestnut with 10% restocking native standards

Coppicing of Mixed Broadleaves

Conversion of Chestnut to Mixed Broadleaves

Sycamore removal

Long-term retention

Area thinned to be managed as future long-term retention

Natural reserves

Existing rides

Rides widened 2012-17

Glades

Forestry Extraction

Existing surfaced tracks

Existing un-surfaced tracks

Un-surfaced tracks for upgrading - primary

Un-surfaced tracks for upgrading - secondary

Other surfaced tracks (not for regular extraction)

Crossing point over underground services

Waymarked public access routes

Log stacking area

Ranscombe Farm Reserve

Coppice Coupes

Harvesting Operations

Plan Period 2005 - 2012

Chestnut Coppice

2005 - 06

2007 - 08

2008 - 09

2009 - 10

2010 - 11

2011 - 12

MB Coppice

Sycamore thinning

Corsican Pine/ Sycamore clearfell

Coppicing Operations

Plan Period 2012 - 2017

Chestnut Coppice

2012 - 13

2013 - 14 2.7% 1.5% (4.0%) 2014 - 15 (2.3%) 1.9% 2015 - 16 2.3% (2.9%) (3.5%) 2016 - 17 2.2% 2.3% (91.8%) MB coppice (3.5%)

0.4%

Sycamore clearfell 1.5% (0.6%) 1.5% (2.3%) (2.3%) 2012 – 17

Note: % figure represents 0.8% 1.2% proportion of total woodland, (9.2%) (14.5%) figure in brackets as % of compartment

0.8% (9.7%) 0.8% (9.7%) 0.6% (14.3%)

Coppicing Operations

Plan Period 2017 - 2022

Chestnut Coppice

2017 - 18

2018 - 19

2019 - 20

2020 - 21

2021 - 22

MB Coppice

Coppicing Operations

Plan Period 2022 - 2027

Chestnut Coppice

2022 - 23

2023 - 14

2024 - 25

2025 - 26

2026 - 27

MB Coppice

Coppicing Operations

Plan Period 2027 - 2032

Chestnut Coppice

2027 - 28

2028 - 29

2029 - 30

2030 - 31

2031 - 32

MB coppice

Management of the farmland Cultivated margins (ELS Option EF11 - yellow) Woodland margins (ELS Option EC4 - brown) Grass buffer strips (ELS Option EE3 - blue) Low input grassland (ELS Option EK3 - hatched brown)

Kitchen Field Twenty Acre

Nether Great Bottom

Red Soils

Longhoes Field

Management of the farmland Grassland creation/restoration (HLS Option HK17 - hatched brown) Conservation arable (HLS Option HG7 – shaded pink) Plan 1 – Layout of Rides & Glades in Great Wood (west)

Chestnut Coppice Rides

Knights Place Rides

Town Road Ride

Gas Main Ride & Glades

Southern Edge of Stogarts & Drapers Wood

Southern Edge of Birch

Wood 50m

60m

160m 20m 60m m

10m 70m l k 45m j

i 20m 75m 70m h

c f g a b d e 80m vi 80m ii

210m 14m 20m 30m iii 100m 100m vii

30m

80m iv viii 130m 115m

110m 90m 20m z i 25m 90m y v 360m x 160m

40m 230m w

300m Plan 2 – Layout of Rides & Glades in Great Wood (east)

Chestnut Coppice Rides

Town Road Ride

Southern Edge of Stogarts & Drapers Wood

Head Barn Wood Ride

m o n

ix 73m

14m x 75m

90m xi

10m 15m

110m 30m xii xiii

150m

50m 100m

28m

12m 20m Plan 3 – Management of Open Space within Mill Hill

s Zone 1 - cut annually

a Zone 2 - cut biannually b Zone 3 - cut on 5-year cycle c d Canopy pinch-point f

g Track

h t e

j

i

l

k

m n

p

0m o 100m q r

u Plan 4 – Layout of Rides within Merrals Shaw

Original scallops cut 2009/10 - retained

Original scallops – Ash regeneration

New scallops to be 25m created 2013-17 15m

Scallop length

12m Scallop width 15m Pinch point in canopy 40m

Ride managed either side of main drive 30m

50m 25m 10m 50m 15m

30m 25m

45m 20m 8m 15m 30m

15m

20m

50m

Specification 1: Chestnut Coppice Rides - marked in dark green on plans 1 & 2

Description

Occurs along four separate north-south rides on the south-facing slope within the Chestnut coppice of Great Wood, in scallops cut into the coppice on either side of the track.

Scallop lengths – 70m to 150m Maximum width – 30m Average width – 20m Management history – see the table below Future management – see the table below Conservation interest – varying across the woodland, but largely dominated by Chestnut coppice which restricts value. Occasional The Hornbeam pollards (including three veteran) and one mature Oak; high rates of regeneration along ride including Hawthorn, Holly, Goat Willow, Cherry; Oak and Ash becoming established on field boundary.

The table below outlines the creation of 30 metre wide ride scallops within the Chestnut coppice in Great Wood (scallops are numbered i – xiii as on plans 1 & 2. Where ride scallops are not currently of the required width, widening will be achieved partly through harvesting of adjacent coppice coupes. The width of the track is taken as 3 metres throughout, therefore a 24 metre scallop, with 3 metre track, and 3 metre cut edge alongside the track on the opposite side produces a ride with total width of 30 metres.

Scallop Length Schedule Width (max) Width alongside track opposite scallop

I 110 m Scallop west of track created as part of adjacent 24 m 3 m – comprises mixed broadleaves coppicing in 2011/12 Ii 80 m Scallop west of track to be cut and stumps mulched, 22 m 5 m – to be cut along with scallop 2012/13 2012/13 Iii 100 m Scallop west of track to be cut and stumps mulched, 27 m 0 m 2012/13 Iv 115 m Scallop east of track to be created as part of 27 m 0 m adjacent coppicing and stumps mulched in 2012/13 V 90 m Scallop west of track to be cut and stumps mulched, 24 m 3 m – to be cut as part of adjacent 2012/13 coppice, 2013/14 Vi 80 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2011/12 24 m 3 m – to be cut as part of adjacent coppice, 2016/17 Vii 100 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2011/12 24 m 3 m – to be cut as part of adjacent coppice, 2013/14 Viii 130 m Scallop created as part of adjacent coppicing in 24 m 3 m – to be cut as part of adjacent 2010/11, and stumps mulched in 2011/12 coppice, 2015/16 Ix 73 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2010/11 24 m 3 m – cut along with scallop 2010/11 X 75 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2010/11 24 m 3 m – cut along with scallop 2010/11 Xi 90 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2010/11 24 m 3 m – cut along with scallop 2010/11 Xii 150 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2010/11 20 m 3 m – cut along with scallop 2010/11 Xiii 110 m Scallop cut and stumps mulched, 2010/11 24 m 3 m – cut along with scallop 2010/11

Track

Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 1 Zone 3

30 metres

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be 12-14 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut biannually; this will typically take the form of c.4m widths either side of zone 1.  Zone 3 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut every 5 years. See ‘species diversification’ below.  Native standards to be encouraged across all zones of the ride.  Annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 will need to be cut by tractor-mounted mower due to the scale of work, but will be carefully planned to avoid regenerating native broadleaved seedlings as they occur; it is recommended that seedlings are clearly marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible.  The 30m x 30m glade located north of scallop xii will be managed primarily to enhance the population of Lady Orchid, by annual cutting of a central zone 1 (including removal of arisings), and cutting of zone 3 (comprising primarily Chestnut) to a width of 3 metres around the edge on a 5-year cycle. Regeneration from existing mature Oak and Hornbeam within the glade will be retained.

Mulching of Chesntnut coppice stools

Along a proportion of the rides the cut stools on the inside edge of each scallop (approximately 50 to 75% of the scallop area) will be physically removed using a tracked forest mulcher to eradicate the Chestnut and create areas of permanent open ground that is easier to maintain as zones 1 and 2. The mulching will be planned to avoid if possible, stools of native species, in order to support the development of greater species diversity within the ride and to retain ancient stools of Ash where they occur. Along mulched sections, vegetation development is limited during the first summer following mulching, and therefore cutting of zone 1 will not be required until the second winter, and zone 2 not until the third. Along non-mulched ride sections, annual and biannual cutting within zones 1 and 2 will need to include cutting of coppice re-growth.

Species diversification along rides within the Chestnut coppice woodlands

Following initial widening of rides within the Chestnut coppice, zone 3 consists predominantly of newly cut Chestnut stools. The aim is to encourage instead the development of a mixed species shrub zone, including species such as Birch, Hawthorn, Hazel, Blackthorn, Goat Willow, and Holly, which will become established by natural regeneration. The Chestnut will be retained initially in order to create the zone 3 structure, but will be cut on a short rotation of 5 years by chainsaw / bowsaw, with the aim of gradually phasing this out in favour of native species. No native regeneration within zone 3 will be cut for at least the first 10 years to allow it to become established. After 10 years the situation will be reviewed, and if colonisation and growth rates have been good, then native regeneration will then be coppiced along with the Chestnut, to be managed in future on a rotation of 5-10 years, again depending on density and growth rates. The Chestnut will essentially be managed as an increasingly minor component within the shrub zone. If it is found that native regeneration is limited within Zone 3, then seeding of edges may be undertaken, using seed sourced from elsewhere within the woodland.

Establishment of native standards along rides within the Chestnut coppice woodlands

Within all three zones, future native standards will be encouraged, including in particular Oak, Ash, Hornbeam, Field Maple and Cherry, ultimately to achieve a rate of 10 mature trees per hectare. Within the period of this 20-year plan, the development of standards within rides should be made a priority due to the general scarcity within the Chestnut coppice. All will therefore be retained initially where they occur; no tree is likely to achieve a size in this period that would have an adverse impact on the open space function of the rides. At the end of this 20-year plan, the distribution of self-sown native standards within rides will be reviewed; if standards occur at densities too high that may conflict with the open space of the ride in the future, then selective felling may need to be undertaken. Alternatively, it may be more appropriate to realign the ride boundaries in order to incorporate native regeneration into the permanent woodland.

Specification 2: Knights Place Rides – marked in purple on plans 1 & 2

Description

Occurs along three separate north-south rides within the Chestnut coppice of Great Wood, in long, thin scallops both sides of the track. Westernmost ride contains high proportion of Birch, Goat Willow, and other native species, as well as Chestnut. As situated on north-facing slope, generally regarded as having less wide ranging conservation interest but managed to narrower 15m width in order to enhance access.

Scallop lengths – 45m to 160m Maximum width – 15m Average width – 10m Management history – rides created by adjacent Chestnut coppicing over 2007-2010. Future management – along middle ride, eastern side of southern half (Chestnut coppice last cut in 1999) will require cutting to create zone 3 over 2012-17. Conservation interest – varying across the woodland, but largely dominated by Chestnut coppice which restricts value. Occasional mature standards including Oak, Hornbeam and Chestnut, but higher frequency of native broadleavesd including Birch and Goat Willow. Easternmost ride supports only known Kent site for Lady’s Mantle.

Track

Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 3

15 metres

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 2 to be 3-5 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut biannually.  Zone 3 to be 3-5 metres wide; cut every 5 years, with a view to phase out Chestnut in favour of native broadleaves. See ‘species diversification’ under specification 1.  Native standards to be encouraged within zone 3. See ‘establishment of native standards’ under specification 1.  Annual and biannual cutting of zones 2 will be possible by tractor-mounted mower due to the scale of work, but will be carefully planned to avoid regenerating native broadleaved seedlings as they occur; it is recommended that seedlings are clearly marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible.  Cutting of the easternmost ride supporting Lady’s Mantle will always be carried out by hand due to its sensitivity.

Specification 3: Town Road Ride – marked in yellow on plans 1 & 2

Description

This east-west ride through the middle of Great Wood serves both important open space habitat and as a key concentration of mature and veteran trees, primarily comprising rough avenue of Hornbeam planted along a historic route. This is a key area of habitat diversity within the Chestnut coppice to the north and south.

Total length - 1050m Proposed maximum width – 30m Average width – 20m Management history – Widened along its whole length in phases from 2007 – 2011. Future management – Further widening to be undertaken over 2012 – 17, at eastern end as part of specific widening works, and through middle section as part of adjacent coppicing. Conservation interest – High concentration of mature / veteran trees, and deadwood, including Hornbeam avenue along length of ride; Lily-of-the-Valley also occurs at scallop ‘k’.

Track

Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

Chestnut Coppice 30 metres Chestnut Coppice

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to vary between 5 - 12 metres wide, including 3 metre track surfaced track; cut annually.  Zone 2 to vary between 8 - 12 metres wide; cut biannually.  Zone 3 to vary between 8 - 12 metres wide; cut every 5 years. This features a high proportion of Chestnut, which is to be phased out in favour of native species (see ‘species diversification’ under specification 1).  All mature/veteran Hornbeam and other natives to be retained. All standing/fallen deadwood to be retained in situ.  Regenerating Hornbeam and other native saplings (in particular Oak) will be encouraged within all zones to provide replacements for veterans; Hornbeam has been seen to regenerate very well. See ‘establishment of native standards’ under specification 1.  Ride will be widened to scallop into Chestnut coppice ‘behind’ mature Hornbeam/Oak, which will in effect halo these trees and help to prolong their life.  Because mature trees are being retained along the length of the ride, the overall width of the ride will be 30m in order to compensate for the fact that much of the ride surface will remain in shade.  Pinch points along length of ride are located at points where the width between avenue trees narrows.  Zones 1 & 2 will most likely continue to be cut by brushcutter, since they feature a large number of stumps that will preclude cutting by vehicle. It is recommended that regeneration seedlings are marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible).

The table below outlines ride sections by length and width in relation to 3 metre surfaced track, as numbered A-O on plans 1 & 2. The surfaced track is included within the overall ride width.

Ride section Section length Width north of track Width south of track Details A 75m 23m 4m Currently at preferred width B 45m 10m 10m Currently at preferred width C 110m 19m 8m Currently at preferred width D 60m 21m 6m Currently at preferred width E 50m 21m 6m Currently at preferred width F 25m 6m 6m Currently at preferred width G 60m 7m 20m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2016/17 H 20m 7m 20m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2016/17 I 70m 13m 14m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2014/15 J 30m 13m 14m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2014/15 K 50m 8m 19m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2014/15 L 75m 6m 21m South side of track to be widened as part of adjacent coppicing 2014/15 M 90m 13m 10m Ride widened 2012 - 17 N 40m 2m 25m Ride widened 2012 - 17 O 25m 12m 7m Ride widened 2012 - 17

Specification 4: Gas Main Ride (Birch Wood plantation) – marked in light green on plan 1

Description

North-south ride within Mixed Broadleaved plantation / Chestnut coppice dating to 1992. Healthy variety of self-sown native trees as well as planted, including numerous Oak and Hornbeam, though absence of mature trees. Ride is typically well ‘balanced’ with zones 2 and 3 featuring either side of zone 1 along the length. Four 30m x 30m glades are located east and west of the ride, one of which includes a seasonal pond.

Total length - 210m Maximum width – 30m Minimum width – 13m Average width – 20m Management history – created as a straight-edged ride (hence lack of pinch points) for gas main laid in the 1960s; most recently widened to current width in 2011/12, along with glades. Future management – possible further removal of Birch and Chestnut to halo around ride-edge Oak and Hornbeam. Conservation interest – Common Cudweed occurs on sands/gravels on flat plateau above slope; features relatively high diversity of tree species, and numerous self-sown young Oak. The pond at glade B supports Great Crested Newts, and dates to the 18th century.

Track

Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

Coppice & Plantation 30 metres Coppice & Plantation

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be 8-14 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut biannually; this will typically take the form of c.4m widths either side of zone 1.  Zone 3 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut every 5 years. Depending on growth rates of species such as Hawthorn and Hornbeam, a longer rotation of 7-10 years may be preferable, though Chestnut within this zone will require 5-year cutting.  All Oak and Hornbeam of all ages to be retained within all zones. Annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 will need to be cut by tractor-mounted mower due to the scale of work, but will be carefully planned to avoid regenerating Oak seedlings; it is recommended that seedlings are clearly marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible.  The glades located either side of the ride will be managed by annual cutting of a central zone 1, and cutting of zone 3 (comprising typically Birch and Chestnut) to a width of 3 metres around the edge on a 5-year cycle. Existing trees within each glade will be retained. In glade B, vegetation within the pond including phragmites spp. will not be cut, though Birch should be removed to prevent further encroachment.

Long term vision

The ride will be managed to create a well developed, species-rich edge habitat, screening the plantation and coppice behind, and featuring regular native standards of Oak and Hornbeam. Some of these will provide future pinch points as they develop to maturity. Greater connectivity will be established between ride and glades as the plantation is thinned to encourage mixed age woodland structure. Establishing additional ponds within some of the other glades will be investigated. Specification 5: Southern Edge of Stogarts & Drapers Wood – marked in light blue on plans 1 & 2

Description

Predominantly east-west woodland edge ride situated between Chestnut coppice and arable field. Also includes 160m north- south section along eastern edge of Birch Wood.

Total length - 520m Maximum width – 15m Average width – 10m Management history – sections widened as part of adjacent coppicing in 2010/11, other sections widened in 2011/12, and two scallops mulched in 2011/12. Future management – possible further widening into Chestnut to 10-15m at far eastern end Conservation interest – four Hornbeam pollards (including three veteran) and one mature Oak; high rates of regeneration along ride including Hawthorn, Holly, Goat Willow, Cherry; Oak and Ash becoming established on field boundary.

Track

Zone 3a Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone3

Fence line 15 metres Chestnut Coppice

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be 3-4 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 1-4 metres wide; cut biannually. Vegetation within areas mulched in 2011/12 may take time to develop. Hazel and Ash stools retained within zone 2 to be cut on a 5-year cycle.  Zone 3 to be 2-6 metres wide; cut every 5 years. This features high proportion of Chestnut, which is to be phased out in favour of native species (see ‘species diversification’ under specification 1 - Hornbeam will be a major component of this close to existing pollards, where regeneration rates are high). Vegetation within areas mulched in 2011/12 may take time to develop.  Within zone 3a (directly adjacent to fence line), bramble and bracken to be retained to width of 1 metre, to act as shelter for self-sown native seedlings along field boundary, in particular Oak and Ash.  Due to the high frequency of naturally regenerating seedlings, annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 will be undertaken with brushcutters (it is recommended that seedlings are marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible).  The north-south section on the eastern edge of Birch Wood is to be managed likewise, with the 3m wide surfaced track also incorporated within zone 1.

Long term vision

The ride will be managed to create a well developed woodland edge from grass path, via scrub, through to short rotation coppice, which includes a wide range of native species including occasional native standards. This will screen the Chestnut coppice behind. The field historic field boundary (currently marked by a derelict fence) will be reinforced by a number of frequently occurring open-grown native standards. Specification 6: Southern Edge of Birch Wood – marked in dark blue on plan 1

Description

This features a large proportion of mature Oak and other older native trees, including overstood Hornbeam coppice which form part of an important relict woodland boundary along the southern side of the ride. North of ride is Chestnut coppice, while at western end, there is an area of calcareous grassland and scrub featuring clumps of trees, situated north of Kitchen Field.

Total length - 620m Maximum width – 15m Average width – 10m Management history – 230m section first widened in 2005/06; 90m section at far western end widened as part of adjacent coppicing in 2011/12. Glade at far western end initially created in 2005, and extended between 2010-11 Future management - 300m eastern section to be widened in 2012/13; block of woodland scrub at furthest western extent to be thinned of Hawthorn and Hazel in 2012/13. Conservation interest – Meadow Clary at two locations; high concentration of mature Oak and old Hornbeam coppice stems.

Track

Zone 3a Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone3

Fence line 15 metres Chestnut Coppice

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be 4 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 4 metres wide; cut biannually. This will involve cutting of Chestnut re-growth from coppice stools.  Zone 3 to be 5 metres wide; cut every 5 years. This features high proportion of Chestnut, which is to be phased out in favour of native species (see ‘species diversification’ under Specification 1).  Within Zone 3a (directly adjacent to fence line), Hazel and other trees to be cut on a 5-year rotation; all mature Oak and old Hornbeam coppice stems to be retained, along with regenerating seedlings where they occur.  Pinch points will be provided by mature trees along ride length.  Glades at ‘w’ (fenced area) and ‘x’ to be managed as zone 1, cut annually by brushcutter with arisings raked and removed to benefit populations of Meadow Clary.  Likewise, large species-rich glade ‘y’ at western end to be managed as zone 1, cut annually by brushcutter and arisings raked and removed. Small block of woodland scrub ‘z’ to be thinned of Hawthorn and Hazel in 2012/13, with all Hornbeam retained, to be managed subsequently on a 5-year rotation as zone 3. Specification 7: Head Barn Wood – marked in brown on plan 2

Description

Proposed scallops of up to 30m width along both sides of currently narrow ride located between modern mixed broadleaved planting c.2000 to the south, and Chestnut / Ash coppice in Head Barn Wood to the north.

Total length along track – 210m Scallop lengths – 100m and 50m Management history – no widening work carried out to date; grass track has been maintained intermittently since 2005. Future management – two ride scallops planned to be created between 2012-17. Conservation interest – Rough Mallow has been known to occur along grass track previously. There is a relatively high species diversity due to the mixed planting on southern side; northern side also includes several mature Oak, along with historic Ash stools.

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be 5-10 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 5-10 metres wide; cut biannually; this will typically take the form of c.4m widths either side of zone 1.  Zone 3 to be 10-15 metres wide; cut every 5 years, either side of track adjacent to zone 2. Hazel, Ash, and Hornbeam to be managed as zone 3 following widening where present, but otherwise Chestnut to be phased out in favour of native broadleaves (see ‘species diversification’ under specification 1).  Location of scallops are designed to maximise removal of planted Chestnut and planted Alder.  Scallops to extend by up to 15m north into coppice, and by up to 10m south into plantation (assuming a 5m existing width).  Mulcher may be employed to remove stumps (particularly targeting Chestnut and Alder) within plantation, and a number of Chestnut stools within Head Barn Wood. Old Ash stools will be retained.  All mature trees to be retained (primarily Oak and Hornbeam).  All young Oak to be retained, along with large proportion of planted Ash. Scallops are planned to avoid main areas of Ash planting, but where Ash is present within scallops, this may be removed by up to 30%.  Sycamore and Buddleia to be controlled within all glades and ride edges by cutting.  Annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 may be undertaken with vehicle-mounted flail mower if mulching is undertaken within scallops. Specification 8: Mill Hill Rides and Glades

Description

Consists of a series of small glades and ride edges either side of the main path running through Mill Hill North, along with two separate glades within Mill Hill North and another in Mill Hill South. There is considerable variation, and the standard three-zone system has been adapted to try and simplify what is actually a fairly complex structure, whereby there is a substantial ‘blending’ between open ground and scrubby habitats within the woodland generally.

Total length along path – 600m Management history – ride widened and glades created gradually between 2005 – 2012, including part created along as part of Corsican Pine removal. Future management – No further creation planned for next 5 year period, after which will be subject to review. Conservation interest – high botanical value, including five species of Orchid, along with other plants associated with calcareous grassland and scrub. Also a wide variety of tree species, including Ash, Beech and Hornbeam of mixed age.

Management Prescriptions

 Zone 1 to be cut annually (see table and plan 3 for details).  Zone 2 to be cut biannually.  Zone 3 to be cut on a 5-year cycle.  All mature, veteran, and young standard trees across all zones.  All regenerating Beech to be retained across all zones.  Sycamore and Buddleia to be controlled within all glades and ride edges by a combination of chemical treatment and cutting; chemical treatment will only be appropriate within glades where there is a minimum of natural regeneration i.e. sections ‘e’ and ‘t’.  All annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 will need to be cut with brushcutters, and the arisings raked off and disposed of, due to the high botanical sensitivity. Work should always be carried out between September – March.

The table below is to be used in conjunction with plan 3, and details the widths of each zone 1-3 by ride/glade section. Widths do not include the 2m path width.

Section North of path South of path A 4m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 2m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m, 1m, zone 2 = 1m, zone 3 = 2m zone 2 = 1m B 25m wide scallop; manage as zone 1 with zone 3 of 3m maintained around edge C 6m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 2m, zone 2 = 2m, zone 3 = 2m D 3m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m, zone 2 = 2m E 80m x 20m glade; manage as zone 1 with zone 3 of 3m maintained around edge F 3m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 9m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m, 1m, zone 3 = 2m; 8m wide zone zone 2 = 3m, zone 3 = 5m 3 at western end G 3m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 2m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m, 1m, zone 3 = 2m zone 2 = 2m H 4m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m 2m, zone 2 = 2m I 50 x 12m glade; manage as zone 1 with zone 3 of 3m maintained around edge J 4m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m 2m, zone 2 = 2m; at western end, zone 1 = 3m, zone 2 = 3m, zone 3 = 3m K 1m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m 13m wide scallop; zone 1 = 4m, zone 2 = 4m, zone 3 = 5m L 8m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 2m, zone 2 = 2m, zone 3 = 4m M 1m wide ride edge; zone 3 = 1m N 12m wide scallop; manage as zone 2, with zone 1 = 2m along path edge, and zone 3 of 2m maintained around back edges O 15m wide scallop; zone 1 = 2m, zone 2 = 3m, zone 3 = 10m P 8m wide glade; manage as zone 1, with zone 2 along raised hump; at western end width of 12m managed as zone 3 Q 20m wide glade; manage as zone 3, with zone 1 = 2m and zone 2 = 2m strips alongside path R 1m wide ride edge; zone 1 = 1m Grassland glade, managed as zone 1, with two areas managed alternately as zone 2: lowest 20% strip alongside railway, and eastern most 20% by Hazel coppice S Circular glade, 30m across; manage as zone 1 with zone 3 of 3m maintained around edge T Two linked circular glades, 25m across; manage as zone 1 U Glade managed for Lady Orchid; manage all as zone 3

Specification 9: Merrals Shaw – ride layout outlined on plan 4

Description

Currently ride of up to 18m wide scallops through Chestnut (and Mixed Broadleaved coppice). Ash regeneration within the scallops has been prolific since they were created; in line with broader aims in Merrals Shaw to phase out Chestnut in favour of native broadleaves, a number of these scallops are being abandoned and allowed to regenerate. Replacement scallops will be created as part of adjacent coppicing, which will include mulching of Chestnut stools, and these will be managed in conjunction with retained scallops. Plan 4 outlines the realignment of ride scallops.

In addition, between Merrals Shaw and Longhoes Wood either side of the main drive, a 20m ride is to be maintained between the two coppice woodlands.

Total length - 300m (plus 50m ride along main drive). Maximum width (proposed) – 30m Average width (proposed) – 20m Management history – scallops widened in 2009/10, subsequently colonised rapidly by self-sown Ash; ride either side of main drive created as part of adjacent coppicing, 2009-11. Future management – creating new scallops to replace those set aside for Ash regeneration, to be created by adjacent coppicing over 2013-16. Felling of Ash coppice stems required in 2012/13 to complete ride width on eastern side of main drive. Conservation interest – important population of Hoary Cinquefoil; greater range of native species than in most Chestnut coppice.

Management Prescriptions (similar to that of rides within Chestnut Coppice)

 Zone 1 to be 12-14 metres wide, including 3 metre track width; cut annually.  Zone 2 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut biannually; this will typically take the form of c.4m widths either side of zone 1.  Zone 3 to be 3-8 metres wide; cut every 5 years. See ‘species diversification’ under specification 1.  Native standards to be encouraged across all zones of the ride. See ‘establishment of native standards’ under specification 1.  Following mulching of a proportion of new scallops, annual and biannual cutting of zones 1 and 2 will be possible with a tractor- mounted mower, but will be carefully planned to avoid regenerating native broadleaved seedlings as they occur; it is recommended that seedlings are clearly marked with hazard tape in advance to make them visible.  The ride either side of the main drive will be managed to a total width of 20m; zone 1 = 5m, including 1 m strips either side of 3m- wide drive; zone 2 = 3m on both sides; zone 3 = 4-5m on both sides. Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy

Background At the time of preparing this draft strategy, the management plan for Ranscombe Farm Reserve is being revised. It is therefore not possible at present to fully ensure that monitoring is tied to management plan objectives. However, the Vision document for Ranscombe sets out a number of high-level objectives relating to the site’s biodiversity interest, viz: a) To develop Ranscombe Farm as one of the UK’s most wildflower-rich landscapes, particularly by:  Conserving, enhancing and restoring populations of nationally and locally rare plants;  Creating the best arable plant site in Britain in terms of the diversity of species present and the size of their populations;  Through positive management, developing the largest UK populations of 8 key plant species. b) To conserve and enhance populations of important lower plant and animal species, particular where this demonstrates how diverse and healthy populations of wild plants are critical to the conservation of wider biodiversity.

Monitoring measures can be determined which would demonstrate whether or not these objectives were being achieved. The monitoring methods are set out below under four headings:

1. Population monitoring: nationally and locally rare plants

2. Population monitoring: animal species

3. Vegetation monitoring: Brockles Field

4. Fixed Point Photo Monitoring: woodland

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 1 of 8 Population monitoring: nationally and locally rare plants

Those plants with some recognised rarity or threat status at national or county level, and which have been recorded at Ranscombe Farm Reserve, are:

UK Red Data List status Endangered (RDB 2) Man Orchid Aceras anthropophorum Ground-pine Ajuga chamaepitys Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea Narrow-fruited Cornsalad Valerianella dentata

UK Red Data List status Vulnerable (RDB 3) Stinking Chamomile Anthemis cotula White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera Prickly Poppy Papaver argemone

UK Red Data List status Near Threatened Dwarf Spurge Euphorbia exigua Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis Wild Pansy Viola tricolor

Nationally Scarce Blue Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis subsp. foemina Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus White Mullein Verbascum lychnitis

Listed on Kent Rare Plant Register Hairy Lady’s-mantle Alchemilla filicaulis subsp. vestita Clustered Bellflower Campanula glomerata Trailing Tormentil Potentilla anglica Burnet Rose Rosa spinosissima

Two species for which the site is nationally important currently have no national conservation status. These are: Corncockle Agrostemma githago, considered extinct in the wild in the UK, and for which Ranscombe may be the only native site. Rough Mallow Althaea hirsuta, which is generally considered a neophyte (a plant arriving in the UK after 1500), although some consider it to be native at its Ranscombe site.

Of these, the following are present in sufficiently low numbers and sufficiently discrete locations to make it possible to undertake individual counts:

1. Each discrete location to be identified on a map. Counts of individuals to be made for each location in May each year. Counts should identify separately the number of flowering and non-flowering plants.  Man Orchid Aceras anthropophorum  Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea  Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera  White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium NB numbers of this species may prove too high to be amenable to counts of individuals

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 2 of 8 2. Each discrete location to be identified on a map. Numbers of plants to be counted at each location during June, July or August. If possible, flowering stems per plant to be counted also.  Ground-pine Ajuga chamaepitys  Rough Mallow Althaea hirsuta

3. Each discrete location to be identified on a map. Numbers of plants to be counted at each location during March, April or May.  Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus

4. Each discrete location to be identified on a map. Numbers of plants to be counted at each location during June, July or August.  Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris  White Mullein Verbascum lychnitis  Hairy Lady’s-mantle Alchemilla filicaulis subsp. vestita  Clustered Bellflower Campanula glomerata

5. Each discrete location to be identified on a map. Numbers of plants to be counted at each location during June, July or August.  Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis Individuals will be classified as per Hegland et al (2001) Population structure of Salvia pratensis in relation to vegetation and management of Dutch dry floodplain grasslands Journal of Applied Ecology 2001 vol 38, 1277 – 1289, i.e. 1. Seedlings: up to one to two leaf pairs, and a rosette with a diameter of approximately 5 cm. 2. Immatures: three leaf pairs and rosettes of 7–10 cm in diameter. 3. Vegetative adults: a large rosette of >10 cm in diameter, with at least four leaf pairs. Leaves considerably thicker than those of the younger states, and the leaves below sometimes withered. 4. Generative adults: at least one flowering stalk in addition to the rosettes.

6. Presence to be noted at least once a year  Burnet Rose Rosa spinosissima

7. Kitchen field to be searched during June, July or August and count made if plants present.  Blue Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis subsp. foemina

8. Kitchen Field and Longhoes Field to be surveyed annually using a suitable sampling method. Suggested method to sample with 0.5m quadrats, counting all individuals of each species listed and noting presence of other arable weeds. Ideally 100 randomly- placed quadrats in each field, with each field being stratified into at least 2 sections.  Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata  Corncockle Agrostemma githago  Stinking Chamomile Anthemis cotula  Petty Spurge Euphorbia exigua  Narrow-fruited Cornsalad Valerianella dentata (IF PRESENT)  Prickly Poppy Papaver argemone (IF PRESENT)  Wild Pansy Viola tricolor (IF PRESENT)

9. Known locations to be checked in June, July or August 2012 and suitable sampling/count method determined.  Narrow-fruited Cornsalad Valerianella dentata  Prickly Poppy Papaver argemone

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 3 of 8  Wild Pansy Viola tricolor  Trailing Tormentil Potentilla anglica  Rough Poppy Papaver hybridum (no current conservation status, but of interest).  Hoary Cinquefoil Potentilla argentea

Population monitoring: animal species

Baseline data will continue to be gathered, and, provided that resources permit, methods for monitoring key animal species will be developed.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 4 of 8 Vegetation monitoring: Brockles Field

It is only likely to be possible to carry out limited vegetation monitoring. However, monitoring of vegetation at Brockles Field is considered important. The broad aims of management at Brockles Field are to increase plant species-richness and to restore chalk grassland habitat. Therefore a method has been selected which gathers species presence and abundance data (allowing species richness to be calculated) and allows classification by NVC (allowing assessment of closeness of fit of vegetation to a chalk grassland type).

The method also includes nested quadrats to allow comparison with results from other Plantlife reserves.

The monitoring method for Brockles Field is set out below. This is to be repeated at intervals of no less than 5 years, or every 2-3 years if noticeable vegetation change occurs within this timescale. The survey should be carried out in July-August.

Survey area is a 100m by 100m square, located with northern and western edges alongside paths, as shown below. GR NW corner = TQ6967467626, NE corner = TQ6965667526, SW corner = TQ6977467614.

50 1m x 1m quadrats are randomly located (using random number tables) within this area.

Each quadrat contains nested quadrats of the following sizes 0.1m x 0.1m 0.2m x 0.2m 0.3m x 0.3m 0.4m x 0.4m 0.5m x 0.5m

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 5 of 8 For each quadrat, each species occurring is recorded for the first nested quadrat within which it occurs, up to the full 1m x 1m quadrat.

In addition, overall percentage cover for each species, plus any bare ground, is estimated for each 1m x 1m quadrat.

At five locations, a 2m x 2m area is also laid out, and cover estimated using the following DOMIN scale, to enable comparison with NVC classification:

91-100% 10 76-90% 9 51-75% 8 34-50% 7 26-33% 6 11-25% 5 4-10% 4 <4% - many 3 <4% - several 2 <4% - few 1

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 6 of 8 Fixed Point Photo Monitoring: woodland

Fixed point photo monitoring is being used as a method of recording change in vegetation structure across the woodland at Ranscombe Farm Reserve, whereby points are returned to twice a year to build up a picture over a number of years. Fixed point photo monitoring also features as a requirement of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard, and English Woodland Grant Scheme.

Twenty points have been selected throughout the woodland, with a particular focus on the open space network of rides and glades, the character of which is expected to change year-on-year. As rides largely coincide with the public access network, this will also pick up changes in accessibility, including any alterations to site infrastructure within the woodland. Regular changes resulting from the coppice cycle will also be detected. At each of the twenty locations, photographs may be taken at between one and five different angles.

For the majority of locations there is already an existing record going back one or more years since 2009. From this existing record, a baseline set has been created, which should be used to match up all subsequent photos.

Photographs should be taken twice a year, in late March (just at the end of the woodland management season and before the trees are in leaf) and early September (just at the start of the woodland management season and when the trees are in full leaf). Ideally all should be completed within one week.

Monitoring should be undertaken for the next 5 years (2013-17 inclusive) which covers the first 5 years of the current management plan as well as the current UKWAS certification period and EWGS Woodland Management Grant contract. At the end of this period, the situation should be reviewed e.g. monitoring may need to be undertaken more or less frequently, at more or less locations.

The limitations of fixed point photo monitoring should be recognised; they will not pick up any detailed change in the ground flora (particularly due to the times of the year that photos are taken), and where particular work is undertaken whereby a detailed record is required, additional monitoring may be required: this is only designed to be representative.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 7 of 8

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy (April 2013) Page 8 of 8 Ranscombe Farm Reserve Management Plan: impact on Section 41 species at Ranscombe

Fungi There are records of three s41 fungi species associated with Cobham Woods, but it is not clear whether the records actually do refer to land within the existing Ranscombe boundary or in land managed by the National Trust.  Hydnellum ferrugineum (Mealy Tooth) A species associated with pines, so unlikely to actually be present within the reserve.  Entoloma bloxamii (Big Blue Pinkgill) A grassland species, suggesting that the record was not within the existing reserve boundary.  Hericium erinaceus (Hedgehog Fungus) The record is from a fallen beech, and may have been within the reserve boundary, though this is unclear. Nonetheless, if the species is present locally, then it should be favoured by measures in the management plan to maintain and manage the stock of veteran trees.

Vascular plants  Man Orchid Aceras anthropophorum Should directly benefit from management measures to conserve, enhance and expand grassland at Mill Hill Wood and on the edge of Birch Wood above Kitchen Field, and to remove scrub from the bank above the main reserve car-park.  Ground-pine Ajuga chamaepitys Should directly benefit from management measures to conserve arable plants in Kitchen Field, where the existing population occurs, and from work to remove scrub between Kitchen Field and the adjacent grassland. Measures to create disturbed ground in Brockles Field may also benefit ground-pine as it used to occur there.  Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata Management of arable land, particularly at Longhoes and Kitchen Fields will benefit this species.  White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium Management proposals for Mill Hill Wood and the edge of Birch Wood are intended to maintain, enhance and extend suitable habitat for this species.  Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera Management proposals for Mill Hill Wood and the edge of Birch Wood are intended to maintain, enhance and extend suitable habitat for this species.

Moths  Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae On ragwort  Galium Carpet Epirrhoe galiata On bedstraws in chalk grassland  Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria On ash in woodlands and on woodland margins  Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata On vetch and clover in open habitats  Pretty Chalk Carpet Melanthia procellata On Clematis vitalba in hedgerows and scrub  Rustic Hoplodrina blanda A variety of low plants including docks and plantains  Blood-Vein Timandra comae On low-growing plants including docks  Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata On low-growing plants including yarrow and mugwort  Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata On willowherbs in woodland and open habitats  Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis On a range of herbaceous plants  Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum On herbaceous plants, bushes and trees  August Thorn Ennomos quercinaria On oak and beech in woodland  Dot Moth Melanchra persicariae On a wide range of garden and wild plants

All these species are widespread in Southern England and targeted management at site level is therefore unlikely to be a priority for their conservation. Habitat management at Ranscombe to maintain a range of woodland, grassland and scrub, is likely to ensure their continued presence on the site.

Hymenoptera  Cerceris quinquefasciata (Five-banded Digger Wasp) A species associated with East Anglia and the East Thames Corridor, where it nests in compacted, open sandy ground. It is considered to require an abundant prey supply associated with grasslands and scrub containing a diverse flower-rich vegetation with areas of bare ground and uncut stems, seeds, flower heads and fruit heads that support the weevil prey species (Harvey, cited on the Essex Field Club website http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/portal/p/Species+Account/s/Cerceris%20quinquefasciata). AT Ranscombe it has been found on two occasions in different parts of the reserve, both on chalk. It is likely to be favoured by measures to maintain, extend and manage woodland open space and open areas of grassland at Mill Hill and to the North of Kitchen Field, as well as grassland creation at Twenty Acre (the clary field) and possibly also grassland restoration at Brockles Field.

Reptiles & Amphibians  Great Crested Newt Records are associated with the temporary pond on the high plateau in Cobham Woods, where management to reduce shading is likely to benefit great crested newts, as is the leaving of felled timber in piles. The construction of new ponds in Cobham Woods should also benefit this species if appropriately sited and designed.

Birds (not necessarily recent records)  Cuckoo The most likely causes of decline in UK cuckoo populations are reduced prey (mainly caterpillars) availability during the breeding season or deterioration of conditions along migration routes or on over-wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa (BTO website http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/bbs/research-conservation/cuckoo). So, aside from maintaining overall habitat quality, it is unlikely that site management at Ranscombe would have an impact on the cuckoo population.  Nightjar Associated with coppice woodland. Restoration of an active coppice cycle, together with the creation of a network of wide rides to link coppice compartments, is likely to improve habitat suitability for this species. This may be mitigated by measures to increase public access as this may lead to increased disturbance of nesting birds.  Skylark Management to restore grassland at Brockles Field and to create grassland at Twenty Acre Field is likely to increase the availability of breeding habitat; this may be mitigated by measures to increase public access as this may lead to increased disturbance of nesting birds. Occasional leaving of winter stubbles (for example, where conservation arable is cultivated in spring) would provide winter feeding habitat (flocks of wintering skylark have been observed feeding in stubble in Kitchen Field).  Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Not clear if this species is still present. The BTO website (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrleswo.shtml) suggests that this species' substantial national decline may be due to competition with and predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and reductions in small-diameter dead wood suitable for foraging, while the species' large home ranges suggest that landscape-scale changes in woodland (loss of mature broadleaved woodland, losses of non-woodland trees such as elms, and woodland fragmentation) may also be important. This species is also descibed elsewhere as frequenting the tops of trees, searching for larvae, spiders and wood- boring insects on smaller branches. This suggests that measures in the management plan to maintain and increase the density of standard trees may be beneficial, as this would provide a greater density of small-diameter deadwood in the canopy.  Tree Pipit Not clear if this species is still present. However, it does use coppice woodland in Kent, and prefers 2 to 5 year-old regeneration. The restoration of active coppicing and proposed shortening of the coppice cycle would therefore be expected to benefit this species.  Song Thrush The BTO website (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrsonth.shtml) states that the environmental causes of this species' decline are not known, but changes in farming practices, land drainage, pesticides and predators are all possible contributors. In woodland, drainage of damp ground and the depletion of woodland shrub layers through canopy closure and deer browsing may also be implicated. The RSPB website (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/songthrush/threats.aspx) suggests that the loss and degradation of preferred feeding and nesting habitats are likely causes, and that loss of hedgerows and wet ditches removed feeding and nesting sites, while increased land drainage and tillage are likely to have reduced the number of earthworms and other crucial invertebrate prey available to song thrushes on farmland. The RSPB also states that grazed permanent pasture (especially cow pastures) and woodland are important habitats with plenty of food for song thrushes. Both of these have been lost or degraded in many lowland areas. This suggests that song thrushes at Ranscombe would benefit from measures in the management plan to restore hedgerows, improve shrub layers in woodland (for example through coppicing and ride-edge management, and to maintain and restore grassland.  Spotted Flycatcher The BTO considers that factors outside the UK have had the most significant impact on this declining species, but that woodland quality may also be having an impact. It is not clear whether this species has used Ranscombe in recent years, but measures in the management plan to increase the availability of woodland open space and standard trees would be likely to increase habita suitability for this species.  Marsh Tit A species of large woodlands and wooded landscapes, which uses the shrub layer more than the canopy or ground. It is likely to benefit from measures in the management plan to manage ride margins, to create more open and scrubby woodland at Mill Hill and to manage and increase the number of standard trees.  Willow Tit Unlikely to still be present, due to wider-scale decline.  House Sparrow Lack of available seed is likely to be a factor in decline. The provision of increased areas of conservation arable may therefore help house sparrows.  Starling Associated with grazed land, which provides feeding habitat. They may therefore benefit from increased grazing on the reserve.  Linnet Measures to increase the area of conservation arable is likely to benefit linnets by increasing available food. Measures to restore hedgerows and management woodland edges may help provide suitable breeding habitat.  Lesser Redpoll A species of pioneer woodland, nesting in scrub or trees. It is noted previously as holding territory, and may therefore perhaps benefit from coppice management.  Hawfinch Unlikely to still be present given the wider decline of this species in the UK. However, if present are likely to benefit from retention of existing hornbeam trees and management to increase the density of standards in woodland.  Yellowhammer Not present in 2012. However, likely to benefit from measures to maintain and increase the area of conservation arable, and to restore hedgerows.  Bullfinch The BTO website (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrbullf.shtml) suggests that one cause of this species' decline is a reduction in the structural and floristic diversity of woodland, which has led to losses of food resources and nesting cover. It is likely therefore that this species will benefit from active coppice management and the creation and management of wide rides.

Mammals  Hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius Likely to benefit from active woodland management, including coppicing and ride-edge management.  Noctule Nyctalus noctula (nearby) Likely to benefit from measures to increase species-rich grassland, perhaps particularly where grazed, and to create and manage woodland rides.  Soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus (nearby) Likely to benefit from measures to increase species-rich grassland, perhaps particularly where grazed, and to create and manage woodland rides.

Ranscombe Farm Reserve Management Plan: proposed works in relation to operations likely to damage the special interest of the SSSI

This document goes through the list of operations likely to damage the special interest of Cobham Woods SSSI, and for each numbered operation lists the relevant actions identified in the Ranscombe Farm Reserve Management Plan. The projects referred to below are those listed in the Action Plan, Part 3 of the Management Plan. Reference is also made to the Woodland Management Plan which forms Appendix 1 to the Management Plan.

It is considered that all the actions in the Management Plan relating to the SSSI will benefit its special interest, and it is hoped that this appendix will make it easier for Natural England to assess and comment upon the plan.

1 Cultivation, including ploughing, rotovating, harrowing, and re-seeding.  Kitchen Field. Continue to cultivate according to HLS prescription. Projects 1.1, 1.6. 1.14, 1.15, 1.16  Cobham Woods. Identify areas suitable for experimental disturbance in woodland rides and carry out initial works. Project 6.3  Carry out limited cultivation or soil disturbance around patches of meadow clary to help promote seedling germination. Project 5.23

2 Grazing.  Kitchen Field. Look at potential for aftermath grazing. Project 1.17  Consider grazing in Mill Hill Wood as a method to maintain grassland and rides. Project 6.1  Extend grazing into grassland above Kitchen Field. Project 6.2

3 Stock feeding.

4 Mowing or other methods of cutting vegetation.  Cutting of grassland above Kitchen Field. Projects 5.10, 5.11, 5.12  Cutting of grassland at Mill Hill. Projects 5.8, 5.9  Cut and clear woodland rides and glades each year. Projects 3.8, 3.11  Cut grassland around meadow clary patches in summer to help promote seedling germination. Project 5.23

5 Application of manure, fertilisers and lime.

6 Application of pesticides, including herbicides (weedkillers).  Kitchen Field. Where pernicious weeds build up trial occasional localised or more extensive herbicide use. Project 1.16

7 Dumping, spreading or discharge of any materials.

8 Burning.  Controlled and limited burning of brash from forestry and habitat management operations is carried out regularly. See Appendix 1 Woodland Management Plan for full woodland management details.

9 The release into the site of any wild, feral or domestic animal, plant or seed.  Planting of seeds or young trees, to establish new standards within chestnut coppice, may be carried out where natural regeneration is insufficient. Any seeds would be sourced from within the site and any young trees would be grown from such seed. Project 4.8  Planting of a new hedge (replacing one lost some decades back) in a grass headland on the eastern edge of Kitchen Field. Project 2.4

10 The killing or removal of any wild animal, including pest control.

11 The destruction, displacement, removal or cutting of any plant or plant remains, including tree, shrub, herb, hedge, dead or decaying wood, moss, lichen, fungus, leaf- mould, turf.  Management of Kitchen Field according to HLS requirements. Project 1.1, 1.6  Control of pernicious weeds in Kitchen Field. Project 1.16  Woodland management, including management of rides and glades - see below.  Cut and rake grassland at Mill Hill in autumn and or in spring. Project 5.8, 5.9  Cut and rake grassland above Kitchen Field in autumn and or in spring. Project 5.10, 5.11, 5.12  Plan extension of grassland area at Mill Hill, including removal of hazel scrub on northern margin to a depth of at least 10m. Project 5.16  Remove scrub in increase area of open grassland above Kitchen Field. Project 5.17

12 Tree and/or woodland management.  Woodland management programme as detailed Projects 3.1 to 3.18 and Projects 4.1 to 4.16, and in: o Appendix 1 Ranscombe Woodland Management Plan o MAPS Appendix 1 Ranscombe Woodland Management Plan o RIDE SPECS Appendix 1 Ranscombe Woodland Management Plan

13a Drainage (including the use of mole, tile, tunnel or other artificial drains).

13b Modification of the structure of watercourses (eg streams, springs, ditches, drains), including their banks and beds, as by re-alignment, re-grading and dredging.  Identifying suitable locations for new woodland ponds. Project 2.6

13c Management of aquatic and bank vegetation for drainage purposes.

14 The changing of water levels and tables and water utilisation (including irrigation, storage and abstraction from existing water bodies and through boreholes).

15 Infilling of ditches, drains, ponds, pools, marshes or pits.

16a Freshwater fishery production and/or management, including sporting fishing and angling.

20 Extraction of minerals, including sand and gravel, topsoil, subsoil and chalk.

21 Construction, removal or destruction of roads, tracks, walls, fences, hardstands, banks, ditches or other earthworks, or the laying, maintenance or removal of pipelines and cables, above or below ground.  Installing water supply to Brockles Field. Project 5.1  Surfacing 250m of existing track to allow access to Twenty Acre for vehicles carrying livestock. Project 5.19  Forestry extraction tracks, including new surfaced tracks. See Forestry Management Plan and associated map. Projects 6.4, 6.5, 6.6

22 Storage of materials.

23 Erection of permanent or temporary structures, or the undertaking of engineering works, including drilling.

26 Use of vehicles or craft likely to damage or disturb features of interest.

27 Recreational or other activities likely to damage or disturb features