Hedgerow Management

The hedgerows at Cholderton make a tremendous impact on the overall landscape, and they make a significant contribution to wildlife diversity. They are carefully managed to maintain maximum benefit for wildlife.

The hedges fall into three main types. Some are sporadic with grass between usually untrimmed bushes, mostly of Hawthorn and Blackthorn. These tend only to be trimmed occasionally; when time permits or when repairs have to be carried out on the fences. Others are continuous but carefully trimmed and hold a wide diversity of herbaceous species. The continuous trimmed hedges, particularly those on the roadside, are cut annually, but with great care and generally allowing the hedge to thicken and increase in width slowly. These hedges are only cut on one side and on the top, the field side is generally left uncut or very lightly trimmed. Yet others are continuous but rampant, high and wide, receiving only a light trimming to one side and having a wide spectrum of species.

Where the hedges have become gappy or need renewing, they are replanted with a mixture of hawthorn, blackthorn and other native species.

Woodland Management

Felling is carried out only on a selective basis. Timber is cut to allow more light into the woodland, for thinning or the removal of over-mature or dead trees. However, every effort has been made to retain a wide age range within every woodland. To encourage as broad a spectrum of wildlife as possible, it is essential to retain this diversity. Trees vary from saplings to maturing and over-mature, or actually dead. Hazel can form dense stands in some areas of the woodlands. These were over-mature and had shaded out the woodland flora. These old hazels have all been coppiced and are now resprouting. It is hoped there will soon be enough hazel to encourage a hurdlemaker to harvest it on a regular basis. This would ensure that the developing woodland flora continues to flourish.

When planted, shrubby species are protected by spiral shelters with a bamboo cane. Trees are protected against deer with a tube and stake. This is very effective against roe and muntjac deer, the two species resident here. Cleavers (goosegrass) and old man’s beard are the most troublesome weeds of new plantings. These are cleared away by cutting or treading down during the summer and autumn. No chemical control is used. Woodland thinnings are used for firewood. Ash and oak have been cut at the Estate sawmill for joinery.

Coppicing woodlands

Many of the estate woodlands have areas of hazel that were formerly coppiced. The hazel was cut to produce ‘shores’ – small round stakes driven into the ground to secure hurdles. The small sticks were used to make thatching spars and the brush saved as stakes for garden peas. Larger hazel was cut for firewood. Some hurdles were made, though many were purchased, to enclose the folded flocks of sheep.

Some of the most threatened British species of butterfly like the pearl bordered fritillary, small pearl bordered fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy fritillary require the early successive habitat offered by recently coppiced or felled areas of woodland. They breed on dog violet and primrose which flourish on these sunny sheltered sites.

The hazel is now being cut regularly again and dog violet and primrose are being introduced to sites where they do not occur. Some trees, particularly yew, will be cut in areas to reduce the woodland canopy to 20% of cover. When the violets and primrose are proliferating, a reintroduction of the pearl bordered fritillaries will be attempted.