- Wet woodland
Wet woodland is a biodiversity habitat in the
United Kingdom .This is a
woodland 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 ,birches andwillows are the characteristictrees found in this type of habitat, as they are able to extractoxygen 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 ,birch andwillows support many invertebrates: the beetles Melanopion minimum and Rhynchaenus testaceus, thecraneflies Lipsothrix errans, Lipsothrix nervosa, andmammals such asotters .In the UK Woodland Maintenance and Restoration grants are available to protect this type of Woodland under
Natural England 'sEnvironmental Stewardship Scheme.National Vegetation Classification
Within the
British National Vegetation Classification seven types of Wet Woodland are recognised as part of theWoodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system *W1. Grey sallow – marsh bedstraw woodland
*W2. Grey sallow – Downy birch – reed woodland
*W3.Bay willow – bottle sedge woodland
*W4.Downy birch – purple moor grass woodland
*W5.Alder – tussock sedge woodland
*W6. Alder – nettle woodland
*W7 (Alder-Ash-Yellow Pimpernell woodland)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.
External links
* [http://www.ukbap.org.uk/UKPlans.aspx?ID=4 UKBAP Wet Woodland Habitat]
* [http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/es/default.htm Environmental Stewardship]
* [http://www.buglife.org.uk/conservation/adviceonmanagingbaphabitats/wetwoodland.htm Buglife The Invertabrate Conservation Trust]
* [http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/FCPG008.pdf/$FILE/FCPG008.pdf The Forestry Commission- Management of Wet Woodland]
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