The Impact of Human leisure activity in woods

[oldclaypaws]

I just read the 'Scottish Hutting' thread and was provoked into this new discussion by an issue which has often perplexed me. I noted with interest Stephen1's insightful comment that many people 'love their woods to death'- they have the best of intentions, but trying to reshape their wood into their own vision of what it should be and their very presence there can disrupt a delicate ecology.

I'm personally at a crossroads at this stage, I've a 'neglected' copse which has been abused and mismanaged in the past, parts are inaccessible from dense brambles which choke everything else, I've taken out loads of rubbish left by travellers and started to look at coppicing, thinning and replanting for biodiversity. So far we have no 'hut' as the need is debatable, we live close by. I'd like to get it back to my idea of 'a little woodland eden', but the more we do there and the more time we spend there, will we be tramping on plants and scaring off woodland creatures? Philosophically, did Adam and Eve's creation ruin paradise, did they become part of a balanced ecosystem, has there ever been any such thing as natural and unspoilt?

I turned down what might have been a lucrative proposal to rent out my wood for weddings. The approach was made via this forum. The idea was well intentioned to create a lovely social event, but my wood could have in effect become a cross between a carpark and festival site. -The effect of 100 or so people partying in my small wood into the late evening could have been devastating, whatever the income, and I do put a higher 'value' on habitat, mosses, and general tranquility than my bank balance. I spent years campaigning to stop ancient woods from being developed for big money making projects in the SouthEast, so it would have been hypocrisy to allow such an activity in my own wood. - I hope the wedding proposers understood my eco-protective stance.

So here's the main point of my thread- does our very presence, management and leisure activities in our woods cause irreparable damage? Is the best thing to do with a wood to seldom go there, do as little as possible and leave it largely alone to find its own ecological equilibrium ? Do Dexter's little party sleepovers and camping unintentionally scare off nocturnal creatures? What's the right balance between enjoying a wood, correct levels of managing, and ruining it for all the woodland flora and creatures? I think Stephen1 said having a hut in every 5 acres would ruin woodland ecology. Are we selfish and short sighted to pursue our own idylls in a sensitive ecology, or is there a balance whereby we can enjoy woods to the full without spoiling it, and what are the BEST and WORST things to do in a wood to the ecology?

Hope this starts an interesting debate.

[Dexter's Shed]

it sure will Old clawpaws
and it is something that has crossed my mind many times over the last few months, money and the making of it have never been very high on my "to do list" so lots of my friends and relatives are surprised when they ask that question that EVERYONE ask's, what did you buy it for, can you build on it???, once I tell them, or shall we say remind them, that it is possible to go there and have a few days,hours or minutes STRESS FREE, a little smile forms on their face and they ask when they can visit
everyone but my sister that is, she's always been a money maker, no kids, multiple houses, here and abroad, and always mentioning how much I could make from holding "robin hood style weddings" in the wood
not for us thank you
we only get a very small amount of time on this earth, its quite scary when you think about it, nothing that we do in our life within the woods, will really mater 10 years after of deaths, nature will take back what she requires, ours woods are classed as ancient, and have been here a lot longer than us, I'm sure she will let us have our fun, she probably smirks when she see's us clearing paths and areas, as she knows it wont take long to cover again
and if anything, our little gatherings increase wildlife visitors, as since clearing our areas and adding feeders, my wife saw four female Roe deer last week, and footprints prove they have been into the campsite, we only get to visit maybe once a week, rather than daily as some owners do, so if anything, we scare the wildlife 6 times less than others

as for MY wood, what will happen to her once I'm gone, who will look after her, tend to her needs, I have been looking into leaving her in a TRUST, so that although my family, and future family can enjoy her, so can everyone else

[oldclaypaws]

if anything, our little gatherings increase wildlife visitors, as since clearing our areas and adding feeders, my wife saw four female Roe deer last week, and footprints prove they have been into the campsite

If wildlife was attracted to human activity, Regent Street, The Champs Elysees and Time Square would be knee deep in Badgers, Muntjac and Flocks of Ospreys.

No Dexter my chum, most wildlife or very little of it is drawn to humans, only the scavenging ones who detect a snack, like seagulls or robins watching us dig up the earth for them, and of course vultures following our military to clean up the pieces. (and wolves, who enjoyed our left over reindeer bones and decided to move in with us; I have two sleeping next to me & snoring as I type)

What the Roe are drawn to is the tasty little green shoots growing where you've cleared everything back; when land is cleared by either a bush fire or us chopping it back, you gets loads of new growth which draws herbivores. It was an old trick used by the American Indians; they'd burn back the undergrowth, then come back in a couple of weeks to hunt all the animals feeding on the new shoots. Don't be offended, but they want to nibble the treats you've inadvertently created, not savour your fragrance or knock up a conversation with you.

Everything humans do changes the environment to the advantage of some creatures and disadvantage of others. Take out wolves, the place is crawling in Deer. Put up nice tall buildings; great place for pigeons to roost. Take in a couple of rescued cats, the local songbird population is decimated.

What unrealised effects, I wonder, are we having on our woods.....

BTW, as you were being fatalistic and contemplating the transient nature of life, try this one; in a few billion years there'll be no us, no woods, no earth- we'll all be vapourised as the sun first expands and then either explodes or collapses. Make the most of it !

[Dexter's Shed]

No Dexter my chum, most wildlife or very little of it is drawn to humans,

What the Roe are drawn to is the tasty little green shoots growing where you've cleared everything back;

so, what we have done, HAS ENCOURAGED MORE WILDLIFE, you cant be correct all the time Mr Oldclawpaws
our putting up bird feeders has, FACT, bought in an abundance of birds that we sit and watch, yes they were probably there before us, but our clearing has given us the opportunity to view them better.
and our camping activities bring in the scavenging foxes once we are gone

as for what happens after I exit this world, I really don't give a S***

[oldclaypaws]

I think you take my comments too personally Dexter, I wasn't having a poke at anything you individually have done at all. Its great you are getting so much from your wood and sharing it with friends and family. There is a strong argument for creating clearings to get in light, flora, insects and growth. I've done it as much as you have or more, I also feed the birds, have put in tracks, and am proposing to fell trees and change the character of the wood, from dark and overshaded to more open and varied. What I'm asking is if our very presence has an impact (I'm there every day, with 2 large dogs off the lead), and whether tinkering with our own innocent activities and well intentioned alterations interferes in subtle ways we don't realise, like compacting the ground or replacing species we don't notice which have taken decades to evolve. Nature is cunning at adapting and surviving, but I change the balance slightly with every patch of brambles I strim or log I move, its all home to something.

I worry that I don't know enough and might be affecting species detrimentally without knowing it. I have a magnificent stand of oaks, I don't feel comfortable felling any, but that is the opinion as to what I should do by other 'experts' who are far better informed than I am. Call me over-sensitive, but I have a conscience about every nettle I strim, every leaf I rake, every time I walk on a plant. In some respects perhaps I'm the wrong person to own a wood. I won't shoot anything, I hesitate and ask for advice all the time, and feel worried as to whether I'm doing the right thing. Perhaps though, caution is a sensible approach the first couple of years until you have more of a feel for a place. Something that has taken centuries to evolve should be treated with the same care as a precious antique or much loved elderly relative, not handled roughly before you understand it. - bear in mind my wood is full of AWI's, a county wildlife site, and has 400 year old trees in it. I'm a flash in the pan by comparison and only know a fraction of what I'd like to about the wildlife and ecology. Its quite a responsibility when your inexperienced actions can affect the lives of whole communities of creatures and sensitive flora.

[jennysmate]

Everything we do damages the Earth. If we thought about the damage to the enviroment of electricity production, every time we switched on the kettle, then multiply that by the millions of people who do the same everyday. Then the effect of cutiing down a few brambles becomes insignificant. The difference is electricity production is done elsewhere and by someone else, so isnt as direct. Just enjoy your wood, she will forgive and eventually reverse any mistakes you make.

[Dexter's Shed]

; in a few billion years there'll be no us, no woods, no earth- we'll all be vapourised as the sun first expands and then either explodes or collapses. Make the most of it !

there's your answer, now think of an interesting post next time

[Andy M]

You are prickly Dexter, you will soon have to change your name again!!

[Dexter's Shed]

You are prickly Dexter, you will soon have to change your name again!!

for anyone that visits here regularly will know, me and oldclawpaws are friends outside of SWOG, and bounce posts off each other regularly, its all done as tongue in cheek, just a pity that some fail to recognize humor

[Andy M]

Oh, I can recognise humour OK!!