Woodland Management Plan
Green Drive Woodland, Lytham [DRAFT 05/02/2013]
Date (from/to) / April 2013 – April 2018Date of last review [UKWAS 2.1.3] / N/A
Owner/tenant / Fylde Borough Council
Agent/contact / Adam Nagy
Signed declaration of tenure rights and agreements to public availability of the plan [UKWAS 1.1.3/1.1.5/2.1.2] / Fylde Borough Council
1 Background information
1.1 Location
Nearest town, village or feature / Lytham, LancashireGrid reference / SD 3728 2508
Total area (ha) / 5.17
1.2 Description of the woodland(s) in the landscape
The woodland is at the edge of the small town of Lytham whose centre is about 1km south on the River Ribble estuary.The north of Green Drive woodland is bounded by Green Drive Golf Course and associated buildings. Residential houses and gardens, a school outdoor woodland classroom, and YMCA playing fields bound the south. The woodland continues to the west, into the grounds of Lytham Hall, which are opened as a public park by Lancashire County Council.
Woodland of any description is an uncommon habitat in Lytham and throughout the area of the Fylde. For this reason any areas of woodland are a prominent feature on the landscape and Green Drive Woodland, although not large, plays an important role in the area’s landscape character. Additionally, much of the other woodland in the vicinity is more ‘manicured’. Green Drive is valuable in being semi-natural woodland.
1.3 History of Management
The oldest trees in the woodland were planted in the mid 19thcentury by a local landlord who favoured native trees. The landlord passed the site into council ownership in 1925 for the use of the people of Lytham.Towards the end of the 20thcentury little management of the site was carried out, until in 2002, Fylde Borough Council (FBC) instigated the Friends of Green Drive (FoGD) and produced a management plan for the site.
The management plan was prepared by an ecologist who made recommendations for the woodland based on ecological principles [please see a summary of this management plan in appendix 1.3.1]. This strategy was made possible because the site’s wide tarmac drive is an amenity that gives easy access, allowing people to enjoy the woodland and observe wildlife without entering the wooded area and thus giving a management opportunity to split the site between its two uses – ecology and amenity. Consultations held at the time and again recently suggest that the users of the woodland are happy with this arrangement.
Since 2002 the FoGD have worked hard to carry out a number of actions that were prescribed in the 2002 Management Plan including the restoration of the historic field drains [a number of canopy trees had fallen prior to this due to waterlogged ground], planting supplementary field layer and understory, thinning saplings and the reduction of invasive species. They have organised surveys to help in the understanding of the woodland, have installed bat and bird boxes and have created habitats out of felled wood.
The group has encouraged users to the site and improved their enjoyment of it by clearing litter and by providing entrance signs and an information board [produced using timber from the site]. They have also worked with Kirkham Prison Community Team who restored benches and with a local primary school that uses a small adjacent woodland as an outdoor class room.
Urgent work on canopy trees work has been carried out by arboriculturalist employed by FBC. Also, during 2004 an area of semi-mature Sycamore behind the Green Drive Golf Club House was felled, which FoGD replaced with appropriate native woodland edge plants.
Management of the site has been careful to balance conservation requirements and the requirements of the local community and site users. It has not been practical to manage this publicly owned urban woodland solely for conservation. Management has taken into consideration public safety [particularly near to the Drive] and aesthetics.
For example some artificial communities have been left, such as the cultivated daffodils whose aesthetic value is much appreciated. Great efforts have been made to remove others, such as the thug Himalayan Balsam, [and as a result native flora has benefited], and on these occasions attempts have been made to explain the problem to members of the public who have helped. When working in the woodland FoGD have attempted to minimise habitat disturbance.
2 Woodland Information
2.1 Areas and features
Designated Areas / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodlandSpecial areas for conservation (SACs)
Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
Ramsar Sites (see note on Guidance)
National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) / The Ribble estuary 1km south and farm land about 500m to the north-east
Other designations (e.g. National Park (NP) / World Heritage Site)
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)
Local Nature Reserves (LNRs)
TPO / Conservation Area (CA)
Details: The site’s trees are not currently protected by any TPOs as the land is owned by the local authority. Although the area of the woodland is small it is important to the local community as there is a lack of available woodland on the Fylde coast.
Rare and important species / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Red Data Book or BAP species / Please see the attached lists of bats, birds and amphibians / Please see the attached lists of bats, birds and amphibians
Rare, threatened, EPS or SAP species
Details: Please see attachments 2.1.1; 2.1.2; 2.1.3; 2.1.4
A great variety of birds have been noted. These include Kestal, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, Starling and House Sparrow which are thought to nest in the wood, which are listed as BAP species.
Three varieties of bat have been noted feeding in the wood and they are thought to be hibernating there.
Numerous frogs and toads have been noticed in the drainage dykes and in adjacent gardens
Habitats / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW)
Other semi-natural woodland / ü / Watch Wood
Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS)
Semi-natural features in PAWS
Woodland margins and hedges / ü
Veteran and other notable trees / Potential / Lytham Hall Park
Breeding sites / ü
Habitats of notable species / ü
Unimproved grasslands
Rides and open ground / Golf Course
Valuable wildlife communities / ü
Feeding area / ü / Gardens and Golf Course
Lowland heath
Peatlands
Others
Details
Potential veteran trees - the original woodland was planted in the mid 19c. Some are now fine trees and where public safety allows could make veteran trees.
The woodland is a habitat and feeding area for a number of BAP species as mentioned above
Hedges – hedges within the woodland need renovation.
Adjacent gardens and the golf course offer some valuable additional habitats and feeding areas.
Water / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Watercourses / ü / Donkey Dyke into Liggard Brook and then on the the Ribble Estuary
Lakes
Ponds / ü / Golf Course and gardens
Wetland habitats / Ribble Estuary mudflats SSSI
Details:
The area is flat. The dykes that drain the woodland also collect water from the golf course to the north and eventually, with the help of pumps, vent in to the Ribble Estuary
The pond is seasonal, in the winter spreading to about 15 x 15m and drying up in dry summers
Landscape / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Landscape designated areas
Landscape features
Rock exposures
Historic landscapes / ü / Lytham Hall and Park, Saltcoates Lodge, Watchwood Lodge
Areas of the woodland prominent from roads / ü / Watch Wood
Areas of the woodland prominent from settlements / ü
Details:
The woodland originally formed part of the driveway to the Lytham Hall Estate, a historic hall that has been designated a Grade I building by English Heritage. The parkland surrounding Lytham Hall is also registered with English Heritage.
Green Drive woodland is a recognisable landscape feature when entering Lytham on either Ballam Road to the west or Saltcotes Road to the east. The height of the old trees and the flat surrounding land make it easily visible to the public from a distance, from across the golf course, residences and playing fields.
The oldest [veteran] trees, planted in the mid 19thcentury are in varying states of decay and support a variety of wildlife. They are an important feature of the woodland and of the surrounding landscape.
Cultural features / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Public rights of way / ü
Prominent viewing points
Existing permissive footpaths / ü
Proposed permissive footpaths
Areas managed with traditional management systems
Details:
There is a wide footpath through the middle of the site that offers access to a wide range of users and excellent views through the woodland.
The footpath also forms part of cycleway no.62 and bridleway no.4
Archaeological Features / Map No. / In Woodland / Adjacent to woodland
Scheduled monument
Historical feature (Inc. designed landscapes, registered parks and gardens) / Lytham Hall, garden and park
Other
Details
Please refer to Lancashire Historic Environment Record 2.1.5 and associated map
2.2 Woodland resource characteristics
The site is a 1km long corridor of mixed age deciduous woodland. The oldest trees, Oak, Beech and Lime, were planted in the mid 19th Century. Native flora and fauna abound, but exotic species are also present. Some, like the cultivated daffodils, were planted. There are also some garden escapees like Himalayan Balsam.Beech, Ash and Sycamore regenerate readily and Oak regenerates where the top soil is humus rich. A number of felled Elm and Sycamore now form thick coppice stands.
Wind felled Oak has been used within the site for signage.
Dead wood is left to form habitats throughout the woodland, although most is in the wider western end.
2.3 Site description
Please refer to plan 4, ‘SOILS’ and 5 ‘TREES’; also 2.3.1 the list of Field Layer Species, and 2.3.2 the detailed information prepared by Steven Edwards, Lancashire County Council, Environment and Community Projects Officer.The Wooded areas
The site is a 1km long corridor of mixed age deciduous woodland, part of the original Drive to Lytham Hall. Through the site, the various wooded areas show different characteristics, partly because of soil conditions and partly because of the physical shape of the woodland.
Most of the tree species are native, although Sycamore seeds itself throughout.
The majority of the oldest trees are adjacent to the drive.
The woodland is at its widest in the 400m East of Ballam Road.
The first 50m is dominated by Ivy covered Sycamore, some with virtually no crown and showing squirrel damage. Similar Sycamore were felled behind the Golf Club House in 2004 and woodland edge of Field Maple, Hazel and Holly were planted. Both the Hazel and re-growth of Sycamore and Elm now need coppicing.
At Ballam Road, on the town side of the entrance, are some mature and semi-mature Oak [Quercus petraea], but also ill-formed Sycamore that are arching over the highway.
About 100m in from Ballam Road is the remains of an old pond, which FoGD have cleared of rubbish and Ash saplings. The pond is seasonal, drying up completely in dry summers. This area is dominated by a large old Beech tree. There are some mature Ash and re-growth of coppiced Alder near to the pond. The Field layer nearby has a particularly interesting variety of native flora, which is endangered by the proliferation of Himalayan Balsam.
For 40m to the east of the pond there is an area of dense young mixed woodland, made impenetrable by brambles.
Further east the remaining wide area of woodland is of much more open character. There are some good looking tall Oak trees. Sycamore, Beech and Elm regenerate. Bat boxes have been attached to suitable mature trees, following advice from a bat license holder.
From St Peter’s junior school to Saltcotes Road, the woodland is narrow and the field layer is less varied but never the less aesthetically pleasing, dominated by cultivated daffodils in Spring and Cow Parsley in Summer. Small misshapen Hawthorn trees predominate along the southern boundary with the playing fields where the fence is a magnet for litter. There are various ages and species of canopy trees.
The dykes
The open dykes have the potential to provide different habitats to the main part of the woodland. Himalayan Balsam dominates, despite efforts to remove it, but various mosses can also be seen.
The dykes drain the woodland and maintaining their flow is given a high priority. Although the fall is minimal they seem to be effective within the woodland. The woodland and golf course dykes vent into Donkey Dyke, adjacent to the YMCA playing fields and from there into the Ribble Estuary, assisted by pumps. Problems can arise if the pumps are not working. Dredging the main drain to the estuary is also a contentious issue as it is within a SSSI.
Woodland fauna
Please see the attached lists of bats, birds, amphibians and moths referred to in section 2.1.
A number of BAP species have been noted within the woodland.
Although these species have been noted they have not yet been recorded on a map. Further surveys are needed.
Soils and meteorology
The site is between 3 and 5m above sea level and is in a flood plain. There are three soil types within the woodland, which influence the flora, but the greatest influence is that the soils are predominantly gley and poorly draining. Despite this the soils can appear dry in summer.