Woodland Regeneration in the New Forest, Hampshire, Since 1650

Abstract

Of the 45 000 ac of Crown common land within the New Forest more than 6000 ac are occupied by deciduous woodland, the most notable features of which are the widespread predominance of even-aged and biologically mature beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak (Quercus robur and Q. petraea) and the abundance of holly (llex aquifolium). Holly is present in nearly all woods, in many cases forming a dense understorey. It also occurs in unshaded conditions as the dominant species of small areas of scrub known locally as 'holms' or 'hats': these woods have attracted the attention of several biologists (e.g. Tansley 1939) but their ecological status does not appear to have been evaluated. The origin of the mature, even-aged woodlands has been discussed by several writers. Sumner (1929) and Lascelles (1915) both considered that this woodland had arisen from medieval and seventeenth century silvicultural management but neither writer produced sufficient evidence to substantiate this for more than a few individual sites. Anderson (1951) also appears to have favoured the view that this woodland had its origins in deliberate management although he concluded that the relatively small areas of sessile oak probably represented the relicts of 'natural' woodland. Tubbs (1964), however, in an attempt to elucidate the history of the unenclosed woodlands from documentary evidence, was unable to show that more than, at most, one third of the woods had ever been under silvicultural management. He also suggested that most of the mature stands had originated no earlier than the second half of the seventeenth century. In the present paper the ecological history of the unenclosed woodlands of the New Forest is examined in greater detail. From age-structure studies of the woods today, and from evidence relating to the size of herbivore populations it will be shown that phases of active regeneration within the past 300 years have been partly related to the fluctuations in grazing and browsing pressure and the incidence of heath burning. The age of the stands of older timber is established more precisely than hitherto and the origin of this regeneration phase is reconsidered. Observations of tree size and branch structure showed that the majority of the unenclosed woodlands consist of three distinct generations. The oldest (A) consists of stands of beech and oak (Quercus robur and Q. petraea), in which the branches are widely spread to form a close or semi-open canopy below which there is a scattered understorey of holly. Most of the holly, many of the beeches and some of the oaks have been pollarded. In contrast to the A generation, which consists of these four species and yew (Taxus baccata), the intermediate generation, B, contains many more species. The species-composition of this generation, in which the trees grew up with small crowns among the A generation trees