killing sweet chestnut

[martingarwood]

Nobody likes killing trees but I have just too much Sweet Chestnut and in some areas of the wood I want to grow hazel and in others to keep tree growth of any kind to a minimum to let the ground flora come through.I do want to keep some areas of Sweet chestnut, but it is so vigorous, not very helpful to wildlife and just too much of a shade maker. But how to kill it off.......?

[tracy]

Hi Martin

I typed 'Killing sweet chestnut' into Google and came up with an article about it, from the RSPB. Apparently they are working on a particular reserve to extend the biodiversity of tree species and are looking into it all.

Could be interesting for you.

As the Sweet Chestnut coppices are ancient, semi natural, I suggest you are cautious about changing the land. They have been this way for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Definitely good idea to have someone from the Forestry Commission and some biodiversity group have a look at talk about the impact. As we all know, any major change in management will have a knock on effect for the woodland and the species. Sounds like you are wanting to do it for the right reasons, there must be a lot to find out though.

keep us updated, love to know what happens

Tracy

[Binz]

Hi

we are developing a small glade in our chestnut wood. When the FC visited and i told them what i was planning they said to just coppice the chestnut on 2 year rotataion to keep it low and allow sun in but so that the wood could be returned to chestnut coppice in future. But, as the glade is not in the part of the wood that is SSSI what we are actually doing is cutting every year and when the need arises to have a bonfire then we site it on one of the growing stools to stop regrowth completely. We are only doing this in a small area (about half an acre) and most of the remaining wood will be coppiced on 10 to 12 year rotation.

To add to the habitat diversity and increase the sunlight in the glade I am also planning on ring barking an oak (possibly 70 years old) but don't want to fell it; the plan is to provide standing deadwood which is uncommon in our woodland. Our local wildlife trust do this, have any of you SWOGers tried ring barking like this?

Binz

[tracy]

Hi Binz

I have heard of ring barking. I guess it would be even nicer to use a tree that already is on its way out, or has damage already. We have some oaks that we clearly tractor damaged in the past for instance. So, rather than ring barking a healthy and relatively young tree, it can be done on one that already has dead wood. Just a thought!

Be good to hear if anyone has some experience of it...

[Darren]

I've ring barked a few Spruce trees just because they are in competition with the neighbouring broadleaved trees. If I cut the spruce the broadleaved might not be able to support themselves. So the dead spruce will act as support until the trunk of the tree has thickened up

[martingarwood]

Thanks Tracy. In our wood the Sweet chestnut was very probably planted in the 1850s at the peak of the hop industry around Goudhurst so it is not really ancient. What was there is less clear but probably wooded heathland. So getting rid of some, smallish areas of chestnut will, I hope, allow this previous habitat a chance to redevelop. Thanks others too...i will look up the RSPB article.

[Patrickroper]

Another good source of information on sweet chestnut is English Nature's research report 627 "The ecological impact of sweet chestnut coppice silviculture on former ancient,broadleaved woodland sites in south-east England."

This is available on line or Natural England will send you one copy free:

http://naturalengland.communisis.com/naturalenglandshop/docs/R627%20part%201.pdf

It has, for example, this about reducing chestnut in Blean Woods:

"It was decided to reduce the area of chestnut on the reserve; a reduction in domination, not a removal. The objective was to convert pure monocultures into mixed species coppice, allow some reversion to high forest and provide glades etc. The methods available for removing or killing sweet chestnut are, grubbing out stumps, spraying regrowth and weed wiping. Mostly used the weed wiping approach. This was a phased approach attempting to kill off 15-20%

up to a maximum of 40%. Then, in four years time go back and cut the regrowth treating a proportion of the regrowth. This phased approach is softer on the landscape, it does not create a ‘desert’ of cleared/weed killed stumps. It is also possible to watch for natural

regeneration and treat stools where there will be most benefit. Areas can be reseeded with seeds collected on the reserve."

I think, Martin, if you approach the matter with a fairly light touch and undertake any chestnut removal gradually over a period of years, biodiversity in your wood is likely to benefit considerably.

A few standing dead trees, whether from ring barking or other causes, are always a wildlife asset especially for birds like woodpeckers, bats and various fungi. I was once shown some smallish ring-barked birches in the Wyre Forest NNR that were nesting sites for lesser spotted woodpeckers.

[tracy]

I asked Chris Yarrow from Wilderness wood about this too and he suggested singling, and converting some to high forest. Many options!

[Chris]

I can understand that you want to get different species into your wood, but if you think it was heathland before it was planted with sweet chestnut, is hazel really a good idea? It is useful to have both hazel and sweet chestnut coppice, but they don't really like the same soil. We have hazel; because it is on a clay cap we might be able to grow chestnut, but the underlying chalk would kill it if the roots got that far. It is also not natural to the site although both are native or semi-native. Perhaps you should work with the wood rather than trying to make it something it can never be. The Forestry Commission tried this with plantation into ancient woodland sites and failed in many cases.

As far as ring barking is concerned it is used quite a lot in conservation forestry. Just remember the tree will fall eventually, usually after many years. We have had some standing dead wood become fallen dead wood in our wood this summer, in one case over a public footpath. The only other thing to consider is would the particular tree you want to ring bark be a better habitat if it was alive and left to grow?

Chris W