Published quarterly since 1976 March 2017 email: [email protected] Issue 163 A ‘Concerned Resident’ worth his salt will destroy a hedgerow. It Standon Mayday on provides a corridor for wildlife and is a Monday 1 May worries about woodlands: hugely important contributor to the "If you go down to the woods today" biodiversity of the countryside. Not so Entertainment will be provided by The You had better make it today to see the Chaldean. They are happily erasing Standon Morris, Mr Marvel, Doody the woods and copses of East Herts, because hedgerows all across the estate. Clown and The Braughing Scout Band. tomorrow may well be too late. There will be music from Neil Bullen In these times of environmental and The Bullenbush Band and the arena Chaldean Estates owned by Gordon awareness and compassion for wildlife, displays will be compered by Steve Morrison, has begun a new venture it is unbelievable that a Landowner of Deeks. The arena items will include called C-Logs. C-Logs supply quality such a large acreage, has so little regard dancing by the children of The Roger De hard wood logs to homes, pubs and or care for the land he owns. After all he Clare School, a Zumba display and the businesses, and the logs are harvested is but a caretaker of the land for future Crowning of the May Queen. from trees which are grown and generations. managed sustainably in their own Regards Entry for adults will be by programme woodlands in East Hertfordshire; as Concerned resident. on the gate at a cost of 50p and children proclaimed on the www.chaldean.co.uk are admitted free, the lucky programme website. They were also accepted onto entitles you to entry into a prize draw for the Government's Approved RHI But the answer is not so £50 donated by our local Standon Post Biomass Supplier List. Chaldean owns simple. Coppicing makes Office. approximately 3000 acres of East Herts. Standon Mayday is a unique charity Sounds good so far. for healthy woods event cherished by the people of the However take a closer look at the woods We were saddened and a little frustrated village and visitors alike. This year is the they own and manage and you will see to read the anonymous article submitted 42nd on the High Street, making it one more destruction and desolation, than to PS News about how we manage the of the longest established traditional sustainability. One copse opposite the Estate woodlands. Chaldean has a very festivals in the country. It is a fantastic Old Duke of Wellington pub in Barwick open approach and positively occasion for local groups to fundraise has all but gone. All that remains is a encourages engagement with our and advertise. thin circle of trees and a scene neighbours. To demonstrate this, we produce a quarterly News Letter to keep Lastly I would like to thank everyone in reminiscent of the battlefields of World local residents and neighbours in touch Standon and Puckeridge for their War 1. The whole is surrounded by with our activities, sometimes featuring continuing support of MayDay, I know electrified deer fencing effectively articles or ideas suggested by our that it disrupts the people who live in the preventing the movement of wildlife. readership. High Street for the day and we all Walk anywhere on the permitted paths appreciate their forbearance. that cross Chaldean land and you will When the owners purchased the Estate the whole of the woodland area had been We are a fresh team this year and I see this scene repeated over and over. unmanaged for decades. An unmanaged would like to thank all the new From Much Hadham to Latchford and wood is typically a ‘cold’ wood, with committee for their enthusiasm, hard Cold Christmas to Barwick the very little, or no, bio diversity, and is work and support. enclosure of the woods and the removal of old and irreplaceable hardwoods is also a wasted resource; many areas were If anyone would like a stall or space on continuing apace. planted with non-native species. the day or would like to volunteer to In considering ways to better manage the help that would be great please contact In the past the majority of these woods woodland the first step we took was to our secretary Rachel at were coppiced sympathetically and employ the services of a Rod Pass, who [email protected] sparingly. This encouraged a wide variety of Fauna and Flora to grow and has over forty years’ experience in Please visit our new website at: flourish and to choose which habitat woodland management. Rod spent www.standonmayday.org suited their needs best. This is no longer several months producing our Woodland Sue Spalding Standon MayDay an option for many species. Deer need Management Plan in liaison with the [email protected] woods for cover, to give birth and hide Forestry Commission. This document young, to feed and to protect them from sets out the future management of all of inclement weather; and I doubt old the Estate’s woodlands in a way that Guest Edited by: Maddy Brock Badger enjoys stubbing his nose produces a good balance of bio- diversity, preservation of good quality Johannessen on an electric fence every time he heads out to feed. existing trees, new native species and a As part of her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze commercially productive hard wood Award Programme To add to the utter desecration is the resource. It is approved by and lodged grubbing up of hedgerows. No farmer with the Forestry Commission. Page 2 email: [email protected] PS News March 2017 Putting the Management Plan into action helping flora to thrive that previously number have been removed across the began some five years ago with wouldn’t have seen the light of day due estate; these had become mainly dead coppicing approx. one hectare blocks of to the dense canopy above. A previously woods and were thin and sporadic. We woodlands. These areas now have overgrown ride has also been opened up, have left a number of significant trees undergrowth that is very dense and a restoring access for woodland within the hedgerows as these have canopy that’s starting to form from the maintenance and helping providing a cultural significance to the area. stools that have regenerated. Some are wildlife corridor. Future planned work will involve over 15 ft tall and are very strong, The correspondent talks about reducing the height of some of the healthy trees. These coppiced woods are ‘irreplaceable hardwoods’. Our log hedgerows across the Estate to bring now providing a wonderfully diverse business harvests this hardwood - a them back to a manageable level; many environment for wildlife in contrast to renewable resource – to sell as wood have become trees rather than hedge many of the local woods which are semi- fuel, thus helping the drive to reduce rows. ancient, with little diversity of species fossil fuel usage. Our Woodland and very little undergrowth. We are a working agricultural Estate. Management Plan is based on a 25-30 We employ many people and produce One area raised by the anonymous year harvesting and regeneration crops for food; as with any business we contributor is Furze Ground Wood. This programme and is fully renewable. also need to make a profit. Our wood wood was recently coppiced; it now has Growing native hardwood trees is a slow fuel business – C-logs – helps achieve an electric fence around it to enable the business! this. However, we actively look for ways coppiced stools to regenerate as quickly As part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to improve the environment for both as possible. The fence is there solely to celebrations, the Woodland Trust people and wildlife, now and for future exclude the deer from the wood which launched an initiative to create hundreds generations. would otherwise graze new growth and of Jubilee Woods and 60 special stunt any regeneration from the stools. We would urge anyone interested in how Diamond Woods. To demonstrate our we farm generally, and how we manage The electric fence here – and around all commitment to enhancing the newly coppiced areas - will be in place our woodlands, to sign up to our News environment for future generations, we Letter by emailing: for about three years and will then be worked for several months with the removed to allow the deer back in to [email protected] asking to be Woodland Trust with a view to creating added to our circulation list. naturally thin the dense undergrowth. two new woodlands totalling over 60 This wood did have a number of non- acres. These are now well established at Many thanks. native trees which, with their greater Latchford and Cold Christmas and have Regards, vigour, out- compete the native species. been designated as ‘Diamond Woods’. Anne Peacock, Property Manager We have removed these to favour our The Estate benefits from over 30km of Chaldean native hardwoods. Coppicing the area hedgerows which we regard as a Tel: 01279 843861 has allowed light to reach the forest floor valuable countryside feature. A small Email: [email protected] Audi Timing Belts Air Conditioning Volkswagen Mechanical & Electrical Repairs Seat & Skoda Latest Dealer Diagnostic Equipment Brakes, Steering & Suspensions Specialist Clutches, Batteries and Exhausts Standard Warranty Remains Unaffected Same Day Servicing Expert Volkswagen Audi ltd Genuine Parts Used Theobalds Grove Station Waltham Cross EN8 7BQ CALL CHRIS: 01992 630333 www.expertvwaudi.co.uk [email protected] FREE COLLECTION & DELIVERY FROM STANDON & SURROUNDING AREAS PS News March 2017 email: [email protected] Page 3 Make Your Voice Heard – accordingly.