First impressions

At first glance the Moorlands nature reserve looks like a typical small Yorkshire woodland. Situated near Wiggington, just outside York and accessed through a wooden gate, it’s a welcoming green wood. But as you start to explore the wide flat paths, you realise it’s a little different. Some of the trees are taller, there are little fences everywhere and much of the undergrowth is twisted in strange shapes. It has a mysterious but gentle quality to it.

Anniversary

Less mysterious is the small group who met on a fine September Saturday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this unique place. Six members of the current volunteer team - The Moorlands Supporter group -were joined by a number of YWT staff, trustees and even the President himself, Professor Sir John Lawton. The celebrations themselves were low key and informal, involving a walk round the reserve to see the impact of the volunteers work and look at the challenges for the future. Cake was also involved - of course!

David Powell - Living Landscape Officer East (or Dave as he likes to be known), fresh from briefing the BBC about the state of the nation's woodlands, manages Moorlands as part of his portfolio of reserves. The Moorlands Supporter Group meet every Tuesday, having enough trained task day leaders and first aiders to look after themselves. Dave’s active role includes providing specific expertise, resourcing and guidance in line with the Moorlands site plan. For instance, Dave recently brought the Network Rail “Orange Army” corporate group in to help the group dig ditches that will eventually divert excess water into the wood from surrounding fields.

Sir John has longstanding links to the site and pointed out the building where he was once part of a team ringing birds back in the 1970’s for the RSPB. As YWT President for the last 11 years, he has no formal role, but is extremely active both in the foreground and background of the Trust’s activities. Professor Sir John Lawton has now stepped down from this role which has now been taken on by Professor Alistair Fitter and announced at the recent AGM. 

Rumours that Sir John’s next venture might be forming a boyband with the Moorlands volunteers are rife after they posed for an album cover style shot.  

In the early 1800’s Moorlands was known as Gilt Nook Plantation but the surrounding areas were all known as “Moors.” The wooded area is clearly visible on maps from the time, sometime around the turn of the 20th century maps start to show it as “Moorlands”. As a plantation, we can guess it’s not entirely ancient. What we do know is that the Moorlands house and estate was acquired by Edward Grosvenor Tew in 1909. He was responsible for most of the planting that makes Woodlands unique. Rhododendrons and Azaleas were planted alongside many non-native trees such as Dawn Redwoods. At this time it would have been managed as part of the estate - more of a formal garden than a woodland. In the 1940’s the hall was used as a hospital. We can guess that the gardens reverted to woodland sometime before 17 acres of it became YWT’s second ever reserve on 8th September 1955. 

The priorities at Moorlands now include managing access, protecting woodland habitats and preserving some of the original garden planting. As with other reserves, dealing with fallen trees and fighting back balsam also take up a fair bit of time. Maintaining the paths helps with all of this. Moorlands is very popular with the public, even though it is dog free. Families were walking round and memorials can be seen on tree plaques, benches and small buildings.

Moorlands is accessible with wide and flat paths, people are directed through the reserve on a clever system where paths are surrounded by low level unobtrusive natural dead hedges. Here we can see how materials cleared by the volunteers are used to create dead hedges that not only look great, but also keep visitors on the right path away from the more delicate parts of the wood. 

The dead hedge you can just see behind Dave and YWT trustee Dr Anna Dimitropoulou was laid by none other than Rachael Bice, YWT Chief Executive on a volunteer task day. Dave and Ana were pictured just after finishing a shift putting little chocolates on the pillows at the bug hotel behind them.

In recent years Moorlands, like all of our sites, has been dealing with climate related issues. Currently that means drought. Ponds and ditches are empty and high summer winds have brought down many trees and some big branches. The volunteers spend a lot of time responding to such challenges. Indeed in 2023, the reserve was closed for two days so that ash trees suffering from ash dieback close to paths could be safely taken down. At least 44 other species are dependent on ash. Some dead ash trees are still standing away from the paths as you can see in the photo below. Standing deadwood is a great habitat for invertebrates, birds and fungi.

In the photo below we can see Sir John alongside David Craven, East Regional Manager and Martin Slater - Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Deputy CEO standing in front of what would be a pond in any other year.

The volunteer group

For the last 70 years, volunteers and staff at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have looked after the reserve to maintain the balance between preserving the mysterious abandoned garden feel whilst encouraging native wildlife to thrive.

Below we have what might be one of the earliest known pictures of volunteers working at Moorlands in 1964. They can be seen dealing with the Rhododendrons, just like the group do today. 

We haven’t done the actual maths, but we think that the average age of the group today is around 70 - the same age as the reserve. Most of the members are retired and have been part of the group for more than 10 years. The most recent member - Keith, a keen wildlife photographer - has been part of the group for 1 and a half years.

They are an energetic bunch of about a dozen, of whom 7 or 8 turn up to each volunteer task day. Not only do they do general duties on the reserve, but they have developed particular interests and become highly knowledgeable in specific areas. All of them are still learning new things. Margaret has been a volunteer since 2009, and has taken the lead on Rhododendrons, learning her skills directly as a result of volunteering. It is clear that she delights in passing on her knowledge as she was not the only one explaining the role of the “Rhodies” to me.

Rhododendrons are normally considered as invasive in UK woodlands, for instance at the YWT sites Adel Dam and North Cliffe Wood. Here they are an important part of the old garden. It is crucial to be able to distinguish between the prolific and ground covering root stock Rhododendron ponticum and the more delicate and rare species that are grafted to it. The problem with ponticum is that it sends out suckers that grow into dense thickets that eventually outcompete the varieties it supports, along with anything else that might grow near it. There is still a lot of ponticum at Moorlands, but Margaret has overseen the planting and preservation of the varieties that add so much colour to the reserve during springtime. 

Graham, on the other hand, has spent much of his working life in forestry. He has worked with the National Trust and taught at Askham Bryan Agricultural College. He also brings a full chainsaw license to the party which is helpful when you have large fallen trees to deal with. Many of the wooden benches around Moorlands are his creations.

Here are the remains of a huge bough that had broken a few weeks before our visit, the limb of the tree can drop off in drought conditions as the tree fights to protects the rest of the tree. The massive logs in the background were all part of the bough. Luckily, Health and Safety rules mean that babies are no longer rocked in cradles at the top of trees.

Chris photographed above is the Moorlands group team leader which is why he was nominated to cut the cake. Like Margaret, he has always been interested in conservation but the opportunity to contribute and learn came through YWT volunteering.

Chris took the group to see a rhododendron-free part of the reserve known as the wild wood. Here, there are no paths, so we didn’t go in, but after a few minutes we were treated to the sight of a treecreeper making its way up one of the tall trees in the centre of the picture below.

Barry, an ex-triathlete, who can be seen briefing me in the photo below on pond levels, spent 40 years in the RAF and cycles to the reserve, saving a fortune in gym fees. 

Last but not least, Neil who has spent 10 years as a volunteer takes groups round the reserve, including his friends in the York Philharmonic Male voice choir.

Finally, should you visit Moorlands, see if you can find one of the old boundary stones that were erected when Moorlands became YWT’’s second ever site back in 1955. You don’t have to go off the path to find them, and if you don’t find them, chances are you’ll find something I’ve yet to see...

Give Yorkshire's Woodlands a future

From the topmost branch to the deepest root, woodlands form the backbone of Yorkshire’s natural heritage. And yet, we are facing the slow collapse of our most beloved wild spaces. Research suggests that our woodlands are on the brink of ecological collapse, and in as little as 50 years, these diverse and magical spaces could fall silent. 

Caring for our woodlands is no mean feat, and we make sure to manage and look after each woodland individually to make sure that we can create the best habitats possible for Yorkshire’s wildlife and plant life.

From planting saplings, coppicing, pollarding, removing invasive species, and creating woodland glades, there is a huge kaleidoscope of work required to sustain healthy woodland ecosystems.

With your help, we can reinvigorate our existing woodlands and create new and flourishing woodlands for the future - find out more and donate here