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The Conservators could discharge their legal duty "to protect . . .
pollards" in Section 7 (3) by invoking this Section which permits then to
regulate "the cutting, felling or injuring of timber or other trees". If they
themselves have inadequate staff to do the job, contractors could be employed.
By and large, there seems to be general satisfaction at the way the Forest
has been managed. This is because most users have little interest in it beyond
exercise and visual pleasure.
Those concerned with wildlife have a more particular and exacting interest
which is not being satisfied. More especially, the wildlife itself, which has its
own right to existence in the Forest, is also suffering and is not able to make its
plight known. This paper and in particular the recommendations below are
designed to put the case for wildlife conservation.
Suggestions for future action
All the foregoing is an attempt to follow ecological change in the Forest
over the past 100 years and point to some of the causes and effects. A major
change was observed by Buxton (1948) and noted by Qvist (1956), but it led to
no remedial action.
The question now arising is, should Epping Forest's wildlife receive special
conservation management? Only the Conservators can answer that. To assist, a
number of recommendations are now made in the spirit of Buxton's advice to
think "fifty or a hundred years hence".
i. The Epping Forest Conservation Centre should monitor and survey
species and habitats and encourage others to do so.
ii. The Centre should also study the biological effects of Forest
management for non-nature conservation purposes, e.g. creation of
horse-rides, thinning, scrub clearance, pond management.
iii. Wetland (streams, bogs, ponds and marshy ground) is extremely
valuable. High priority should be given to recording its extent, water
regimes, minor habitats and wildlife. Meanwhile, Buxton's advice on
drainage should be followed.
iv. The plains are declining as a semi-natural habitat. Decline takes the
form of coarsening of herbage, loss of poorly competitive species,
accumulation of a dense litter layer, and scrub encroachment followed
by tree encroachment. To date, this has been left to go to high forest or
cut after 10 - 12 years producing coppice regrowth: either way there is a
loss of wildlife and diversity. The process should, as soon as possible be
checked by increased grazing or mowing if the scientific and nature
conservation interest is to be retained.
v. Pollarding should be restored in various selected parts of the Forest to
give all concerned a chance to see the effects produced. The one
example we have on London Clay is most encouraging but other soils
may respond differently.
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