enclosure. Failing this, but definitely second best, mechanical means could be used to imitate the
effects of grazing. Within the open areas efforts should be made to maximise the number of
micro-habitats available - Gorse and mature Heather plants used by many invertebrates for shelter
and also controlled areas of scrub. Ponds, bog, marsh and particularly bare ground need to be retained
and enhanced or created. Bare ground is especially important for many invertebrates as a breeding or
foraging site and also a breeding requirement for species such as the Nightjar. Bramble growing at
the interface between habitats is a valuable nectar source for many insects. It is important that these
habitats are managed in conjunction with each other; some species of wasp or bee need bare ground
to nest in but need to forage on nectar bearing plants not far away. In other places, for example Sunshine
Plain, an area of wet heath, it is possible that uncut pollard trees adjacent to the heath are helping to
dry it out, making it less suitable for the rare plants that exist on here.
Before such a plan is dismissed as being impractical, it is worth noting that on a smaller scale a
similar scheme was undertaken in the Furze Ground/Copley Plain/Hangboy Slade area in the late
1980s. Here many of the elements of a managed wood-pasture are present - pollarded trees, grassland,
heathy ground, furze, bare ground, dead-wood, a slade and marshy ground (and a deep ditch with
interesting ferns and sedges). The only item missing is grazing pressure. Sadly, the initiative seems
to have been lost at this site and Birch trees have all too easily gained their usual foothold and in time,
unless checked, this site, as so many others have, will disappear under a mass of secondary Birch
growth.
I believe that a site consistently managed as a mosaic of habitats over many years would be of great
benefit to the wildlife of Epping Forest and for education purposes would provide a useful contrast
to much of the remainder of Epping Forest.
Much more experimental management work needs to be undertaken, particularly with the old
pollard trees. Many Beech pollards were found not to respond well to lopping and many died. A single
reference in the Essex Naturalist (EN VIII p.54) indicates that it was customary to leave a leading
shoot on Beeches, presumably to ensure their survival once pollarded. Oak and Hornbeam pollards
have a better survival rate, but these species may also benefit from the retention of a leading shoot.
Some of the oldest trees with girths of 20 ft or more (some perhaps 400 years old or more) may need
special care and attention. For some, no management at all may be advisable. Different species may
respond in different ways to the same treatment. Two coppiced woodlands in the Forest, Hatch Grove
and Bluehouse Grove at Chingford would be ideal candidates for the re-instatement of a coppicing
regime, much to the benefit of the plants and animals. They would probably best be managed as
community woods by local people. Even in these enlightened times many people see coppicing as
simply the felling and destruction of beautiful trees rather than a beneficial management exercise. It
would thus be advisable to involve local people.
Many of the Forest's grasslands are currently mown and/or lightly grazed. Light grazing by cattle
is the best form of management of all the Forest's grasslands. Mowing of any sort is second-best. It
would be very beneficial if the sward of each particular grassland was cut at different heights (and in
specified months), not only beneficial to the plants that survive here, but also for butterflies, some of
which have quite exacting sward-height requirements. Scrub invasion needs to be checked where
grazing has permitted its excessive growth, for example Yardley Hill, but scrub is itself a valuable
habitat for many breeding birds and as a foraging site for many insects, and some needs to be retained.
Birch and Bracken invasion needs to be (and is at some sites in the Forest) kept in check. A single
Birch tree produces millions of winged seeds, currently threatening the largely ungrazed northern half
of the Forest. There are four Birch trees on Wanstead Flats (on the S.S.S.I.) which I would be inclined
to remove. Numerous seedlings have colonised recently burnt ground here and if allowed to take hold
could threaten the existence of this currently insect-rich area. Much experimental work needs to be
undertaken on enhancing and expanding the area of the Forest's heathlands.
The Forest's wetlands - its bogs, brooks, marshes and ponds - are rather more difficult to manage.
Work undertaken on these habitats can very easily damage the very habitat you are trying to maintain.
Fairmead Pond was recently excessively cleared of its vegetation (I would estimate over 80% was
removed) ideally only a third to a half at most should be removed when managing for conservation
reasons. One possible solution to this problem is to create new ponds (the Conservators have the
powers to do this under the terms of the Epping Forest Act) near to pre-existing ones as long as this
could be shown not to interfere with the hydrology of the established pond. Drainage, such as the
grips across Almshouse Plain, really has no place in the management of increasingly scarce wetland
habitat in lowland Britain.
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