Wet woodlands are one of the UK's rarest habitats, often found along river valleys, around open water or boggy places
They are a patchwork of woodland, open spaces, ponds, reeds and scrub. Typical trees include those whose roots are able to tolerate the waterlogged ground, such as alders, willows and downy birch, while the understorey is what you’d expect in any marshy habitat with sedges, reeds and flag iris (see image below) and brambles on higher ground. The damp atmosphere is a haven for ferns mosses and liverworts.
We are working hard to conserve and restore this precious habitat across the county and have carefully selected several sites across Kirklees to transform into this wildlife rich woodland. Project Officer Nick Simms has been working on this part of this project for some months and with Kirklees Council is aiming to create around 18 hectares of valuable wet woodland habitat in this district..JPG)
Further wet woodland sites in other areas of West Yorkshire such as Calderdale, Bradford and Leeds have initially been earmarked for attention in 2012 with others in the pipeline.
Its not just wildlife that benefits from wet woodlands, these special habitats can help to reduce the risk of flooding elsewhere on the river by slowing down and storing water. While the trees will not stop flooding, they can help knit together the soil making it more absorbent, reducing the flow of rain water running off into already swollen streams.
The severity of flooding in the Aire Valley in particular has reached dangerous levels in recent years and steps are being taken to address this. The Forestry Commission and Environment Agency have used hi- tech mapping data to identify areas where tree planting could help alleviate the severity of flooding. As part of the Perfect Tree project the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Forest of Bradford are encouraging landowners in targeted zones in the Bradford and Craven districts to take up new groundbreaking grants being offered by the Forestry Commission to plant trees in crucial areas. There will also be enhanced payments for farmers and landowners available in the strategically identified areas that will most benefit from the planting. Conservation Officer Don Vine will be working with Ian Butterfield from Forest of Bradford to encourage landowners to take this opportunity and will be providing support in form of advice with grant applications and on the ground with planting and tree aftercare.
Although this will be a two year project it will be a while before the real impacts of these woodlands are properly appreciated so we hope that landowners and the local community will come on board with us and help care for these sites well into the future for generations to come.
The Perfect Tree represents one of 3 projects across the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust funded by the Peter De Haan Charitable Trust which will help support work on Wet Woodlands in West Yorkshire.
Contact
For more information please email Conservation Officer Don Vine.
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