The 2003 AGM address. Veteran trees and saproxylic invertebrates at Hylands Park
Trees at Hylands - Notable Dates
1808 Planted fir trees near the Hylands lodge gate wilfully destroyed (Essex Herald - January
1808).
1855 Proposal to fell 125 oak trees in the park by Sadds of Maldon was thwarted by an injunction
granted to a Thomas Howard, presumably a creditor of the then owner John Attwood (ERO, D/
DDW/B5/5).
1978 £4,000 tree planting grant, resulting in some 2000 trees being planted. Part of South Wood
planted (Foreman 1999J.
1987 October storm fells many trees in the park, including conifers in the Lake Plantation and
numerous large oaks, the formal gardens taking a month to clear of fallen trees (Foreman 1999).
Hylands as a site for Saproxylic Invertebrates
To date a minimum of 149 saproxylic fly and beetle have been recorded at Hylands. This list is a
minimum because it is certain that other species whose life history is unknown or unrecorded, will
turn out to be saproxylics. The lists also do not include the many invertebrate species from other
groups, such as spiders, woodlice, 'myriapods', moths, etc., which can also be legitimately accorded
saproxylic status. The dominant group is the Coleoptera (78 species recorded) with Diptera (71
species recorded) following. With other saproxylics, it is likely that around 10% of the known
British saproxylic fauna is found at Hylands.
Hylands differs greatly from other wood-pasture sites in Essex, its boundary encompassing some
570 acres (237.5 ha) is relatively recent when compared to Epping and Hatfield Forests, which
were both established entities in the medieval period. Hylands was established as a small c.100
acres (41.7 ha) estate in about 1730 carved out of an existing agricultural landscape, including
pasture, meadows, hedgerows, coppiced woodland and probably some acid grassland (or heath).
By 1777 a small c. 100 acre park was established here. The Chapman and Andre map indicates that
this core part of Hylands was indeed a wood-pasture estate, with coppiced woodland, pasture and
mature trees, the whole being surrounded by a pale. The park was added to greatly over the succeeding
two centuries, eventually becoming the 570 acre park we see today. Recording, particularly the
beetle fauna, seems to underline the general premise that parks created in the 17th - 19th centuries
have been colonised by few of the more specialised saproxylic species that are found at more
ancient sites, such as forest and medieval deer parks.
Pollard Trees
One of the defining elements of any wood-pasture site is its pollard trees. Trees were pollarded,
that is cut at usually 8 - 1 Oft (2.44m - 3.05m) above ground level to prevent livestock from browsing
the re-growth. The wood cut was used for various products from pea sticks to hedging stakes, but
the majority for firewood.
Pollard trees are very important to saproxylic invertebrates for a variety of reasons, the main ones
being they are long-lived - pollarding almost indefinitely prolongs the life of a tree (some of the
giant pollard oaks of Windsor Forest are possibly 800 or 900 years old). As a consequence of this,
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)
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