Snail Wood Awarded Grant Aid

In August, Snail Wood received the fantastic news that their grant application to the Forestry Commission had been approved. The Snail Wood project has received help towards the funding that will be needed to fell the existing Non-native poplar plantation and regenerate the area with Native Wet Woodland species.

The forestry commission made an exception with the amount of grant aid awarded due to the fact that we plan to create a Wet Woodland, which is one of the priority habitats in the Cambridgeshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan.

The proposals are that the poplars will be felled by Autumn 2006, and the area will be re-planted in two stages; in the Autumn/Winter of 2006 and the Spring of 2007. The species mix should comprise:

40% Alder
30% Ash
20% Woody Shrubs
10% Other Native Broad Leaved Species suitable to the area.

Replanting should be at a density of 1100 trees per hectare - that's 660 trees in our 0.6ha area!

The woody shrubs are to include Buckthorn, Guelder Rose, and Grey Willow. The final ten percent "Other Native Broad Leaved Species" will allow us to plant specimen species that may not seed in an area dominated by Ash and Alder naturally, but will be suited to and survive in the habitat type. They may include Aspen, Downy Birch and Pedunculate Oak. These specimens will be very useful for education purposes whilst improving the biodiversity of the woodland.

It is very exciting news, and we are now excitedly awaiting the arrival of our felling license in the post. (Any day now...) Then finally, we can start putting our plans into action!