Although
forests and most
woodlands are a rich and
diverse habitat for
wildlife, it is only
relatively recently that
nature conservation has
become an integral part
of forest management.
Under influence from
legislation, the
Wildlife and Countryside
Act in particular and
improved recognition of
the habitat value, the
conservation of species
and sites is now
considered alongside
timber production,
landscaping, and
recreational use.
The
legitimate activity of
most forest owners or
managers is the periodic
harvesting, clearing,
and replanting of wooded
areas. All such
activities have a direct
impact on wildlife
habitats, but there is a
need to minimise adverse
effects and to reduce
the impact on specific
species where possible.
What follows is a short
description of how this
has this been achieved
by one go-ahead forest
management team?
Project Aims and Objectives
- The
forestry
conservation
officers needed to
be able to determine
which species were
likely to be
impacted by any
particular planned
harvest and
replanting project.
To do that it was
necessarily to
record species that
were to be found
within the forest
and to try and
identify long
standing residential
species in
particular.
- It was also necessary
to make an
assessment of the
conservation value
of each species and
the varied habitats
found. This
assessment was based
upon national and
international data
as well as upon the
local status of each
species. The records
made during the
assesment process
themselves
contributed a body
of knowledge upon
local rarities.
- The forestry conservation officers need to balance the timing, extent, and
methods to be used
during the
harvesting process
with what they know
about the species
that are present.
To take a simple example, felling during the nesting period of
forest birds would
have a very serious
effect on the
species, whereas
postponing felling
till the young birds
have fledged would
be relatively
straightforward.
There may, of
course, be competing
conservation demands
from other species
at different times
of year.The
forestry
conservation
officers have to
balance the
sometimes
conflicting
conservation needs
of different species
with the underlying
commercial
requirements of the
organisation. Such
is the life of a
conservation officer
but at least this
team has the facts
at their fingertips.
- Once
the balance of
competing needs
within a given forest
area have been
established then
those responsible
for the harvesting
operations (forest
employees or outside
contractors) need to
be briefed on any
specific constraints
to be applied.
AditSite is used to
generate reports and
maps of the areas
concerned and the
extent and nature of
each constraint.
Historic and Existing Data
Prior to the use of AditSite, data had been held in an
obsolete biological
recording system with a
proprietary file format.
The data relevant to
woodland species
conservation was
transferred with the
direct assistance of the
AditSite team.
Program Changes
This forest management team has worked with AditSite from version 1
and it was the
developing needs of the
conservation officers
that helped shape many
of the early features of
AditSite.
Data Sharing
Data from AditSite is fed into the organisation's main GIS where constraints and other information are displayed as a themed layer.
