Re-establishing some native trees at site

Since the project began in 2011, non-native trees and invasive weeds, many of which were planted in the twentieth century, have been removed from 10 ancient woodland sites across the region including at Gorpley Clough in Todmorden.

Thousands of native trees such as oak, hazel, rowan, alder and holly have also been re-introduced to the historic woodlands, thanks to Yorkshire Water, the Forestry Commission and Natural England. The work is being undertaken to conserve and enhance the native habitat and wildlife found in these woodlands. This is because many are in decline due to an increasing presence of non-native trees and harmful invasive weed species.

At Gorpley Clough, there has been the re-establishment of native trees including hazel and alder along with characteristic woodland ground flora that supports native insect species.

Geoff Lomas, recreation and catchment manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We have allocated over £1m to invest over the next five years to manage these woodlands. This will help to create a more resilient woodland that restores original features. The 63,000 new native trees due to be planted will also help to support water quality by better stabilising the soil and stopping it from being washed into rivers and streams.

“We want to ensure that these rare and historic woodlands support a diverse range of plants, animals and insects. To achieve this we must take action to conserve and re-establish a predominantly native tree population. Currently, we are undertaking ecological assessments of these sites which will inform the best management approach.”

Ancient woodlands are defined as any area which has been under continuous tree cover since at least the 1600s. However, in reality these sites could date back thousands of years to the wild woods which covered much of Yorkshire after the last Ice Age.

As part of the restoration programme, many invasive weeds such as Rhododendron, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam have been removed from the ancient woodlands to allow native grasses, flowers and fauna to grow back.