Restoring Ancient Woodlands

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The Dartmoor Ancient Woodland Project is a new initiative which will work with woodland owners to raise awareness, give advice and provide support. The project aims to:

assist landowners to restore and enhance their ancient woodlands, leading to management plan preparation;
establish new native woodlands, especially where this extends or links remaining fragments of ancient woodland;
restore ancient woodland sites, that have been planted with non-native species in the past, back to native woodland communities;
explore funding opportunities to grant-aid the restoration of plantation ancient woodland sites and to encourage the establishment of new native woodland on improved farmland adjoining ancient woodlands; and involve local communities and businesses, for example by providing public access and encouraging the development of new markets for wood products

Ancient woodlands are one of Dartmoor’s richest and most important habitats. Many of these woodlands have been neglected or have been planted with non-native species in the past.
The National Park Authority is committed to bringing these woodlands back into favourable management and restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites, in line with Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets and woodland strategy actions.

photo hardridge woodland
Plantation ancient woodland site Lower Dart valley

The project is a partnership between the Dartmoor National Park Authority, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust. For more information about the project, please contact Rupert Lane by email rlane@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk or by phone on 01626 832093 or by post at Dartmoor National Park Authority, Parke, Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot TQ13 9JQ

Page updated 18 August 2009