Countryside Management Works Currently Taking Place on the Elmbridge Countryside
In Elmbridge we are fortunate to have 20 countryside sites which cover 550 hectares. Over thousands of years, the Elmbridge Countryside has become home to important rare species, including butterflies, fungi, plants and reptiles. In order to keep these rare species and maintain the land for recreation countryside management, works must take place.
This page will inform you of the countryside management works currently taking place this autumn.
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River Mole Boardwalks are closed - No through access until further notice.
Please note that sections of the boardwalks are closed pending reconstruction until further notice. Most are over 20 years old. This is due to erosion and subsidence rendering them unsafe for the public to use. We will be building new boardwalks to replace the closed sections as resources allow.
Access to the River Mole from either steps continues, but it will not be possible to walk from one end to the other until further notice.
Woodland Management
Elmbridge is fortunate to have a wide variety of countryside and commons which provide important habitat for wildlife and amazing areas for residents to enjoy.
Much of this open space is woodland managed by Leisure and Cultural Services Countryside Team. Before humans began shaping their environment woodlands were managed by natural processes with trees maturing, dying and then falling, providing new spaces for natural regeneration. With the introduction of human activity in stone age times woodlands have been used for building materials, fuel, foraging and hunting areas and so have subsequently changed over time. New species have been introduced or more recently escaped from gardens affecting the biodiversity of these natural spaces so that woodlands require management to ensure the biodiversity of these areas is maintained and that they remain a valuable resource for local residents.
A lack of management within a woodland will usually result in the development of dark, dense woods. This will favour a relatively small number of species which prefer this type of habitat. However, it will also result in the elimination of all those species which either require higher light levels, or which are dependent on other species with this requirement. If high biodiversity and a wide range of woodland species is the goal, then management will be necessary to create structural diversity within the woodland.
In order to protect our woodlands they need to be managed in line with the Forestry Commission`s best practice. We have taken the opportunity to get support for this work through the current English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) which provides grant support for landowners wanting to create new woodland and carry out sustainable woodland management, particularly where it protects and enhances the woodland's environmental or social value. The English Woodland Grant Scheme is a 25 year programme of best practice management with detailed works during the first five years.
Works proposed:
- thinning 30% of canopy depending on age and development of a woodland
- halo release of ancient trees, protecting natural heritage by relieving stress on ancient trees
- coppicing
- non-native/invasive species control
- creation and maintenance of rides and glades
The area where works will commence is Littleworth Common. On Littleworth Common we will be starting a programme of thinning works and path and ride improvement.
If you would like to speak to an officer |contact the Countryside Officer.
