Wet woodland
Encyclopedia
British National Vegetation Classification
The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
This is a woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
that occurs on poorly drained or seasonally wet soils. They are typical of river valley, the surroundings of mires and raised bog, the transition zones between open water and drier ground, and beside small winding streams. Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, birches and willows are the characteristic trees found in this type of habitat, as they are able to extract oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
from the water saturated habitat. The UK contains between 50-70000 ha.
Wet woodland supports many types of species. E.g. the humidity favours bryophytes (mosses). Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and willows support many invertebrates: the beetles Melanopion minimum and Rhynchaenus testaceus, the craneflies Lipsothrix errans, Lipsothrix nervosa, and mammals such as otters.
In the UK Woodland Maintenance and Restoration grants are available to protect this type of Woodland under Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
's Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England. It was formally launched on 18 March 2005, although the first agreements did not start until 1 August 2005....
Scheme.
National Vegetation Classification
Within the British National Vegetation ClassificationBritish National Vegetation Classification
The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain....
seven types of Wet Woodland are recognised as part of the Woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system
Woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system
This article gives an overview of the woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.-Introduction:The woodland and scrub communities of the NVC were described in Volume 1 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1991.In total, 25 woodland/scrub...
- W1. Grey sallow – marsh bedstraw woodlandBritish NVC community W1 (Salix cinerea - Galium palustre woodland)NVC community W1 is one of the woodland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system; it is one of seven woodland communities in the NVC classed as "wet woodlands"....
- W2. Grey sallow – Downy birch – reed woodland
- W3. Bay willowBay WillowSalix pentandra is a species of willow native to northern Europe and northern Asia.It is a large shrub or small tree growing to 14 m tall , usually growing in wet, boggy ground. The leaves are glossy dark green, 5-12 cm long and 2-5 cm broad, with a finely serrated margin...
– bottle sedge woodland - W4. Downy birchDowny BirchBetula pubescens is a species of birch, native and abundant throughout northern Europe, Iceland, northern Asia and also Greenland....
– purple moor grass woodland - W5. AlderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
– tussock sedge woodland - W6. Alder – nettle woodland
- W7 (Alder-Ash-Yellow Pimpernell woodland)British NVC community W7NVC community W7 is one of the woodland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system; it is one of seven woodland communities in the NVC classed as "wet woodlands".-Community composition:...
Condition assessment and ideal management
- Native species are dominant. Non-native and invasive species account for less than 10% of the vegetation cover.
- A diverse age and height structure.
- Free from recent damage from stock or wild mammals - there should be evidence of tree regeneration e.g. seedlings, saplings and young trees.
- Standing and fallen dead trees of over 20 centimetres diameter are present.
- The area is protected from damage by agricultural and other adjacent operations.
The term 'recent' in this context means less than five years.
Example sites of Wet Woodland
- Fire Beacon HillFire Beacon HillFire Beacon Hill is a Local Nature Reserve in East Devon, England, registered as Common land and known as Harpford Common. Sidmouth Town Council are the current owners, and are responsible for the management of the site.- Geology :...
in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - Amberley Wild BrooksAmberley Wild BrooksAmberley Wild Brooks is a wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest in the flood plain of the River Arun, just north of the village of Amberley, West Sussex, England...
in West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England - Wicken FenWicken FenWicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England.It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve acquired by the National Trust, in 1899. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh, and reedbeds...
in CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England