Reintroduced dormice thriving in Cambridgeshire wood

Dormouse doing well in Bedford Purlieus Wood.

Branching out - dormouse on the march in Peterborough wood

November 2012. Dormice are thriving in a Peterborough wood - and now a local farmer is helping then to branch out even further afield.

The Forestry Commission found 27 dormice in boxes in Bedford Purlieus Wood, near Peterborough, during the final monthly check of the year in October. Adults, juveniles and babies were recorded, most in good health and with plenty of fat to see them through their winter hibernation.

The checks - carried out by rangers and volunteers - have been crucial in charting the progress of the endangered mammals since they were released in the 200 hectare beauty spot in 2001 after becoming extinct locally.

Cheryl Joyce, Forestry Commission ranger, said: "Finding so many dormice in our final check is great news. But what has really excited us is that some animals were found a long way from the original release point, adding to our hopes that they might soon spread into the surrounding countryside. That really is the next major project landmark. It just shows what sensitive habitat management allied to the passion of volunteers can achieve."

Dormice boxes
Spurred on by the dormouse revival, Clive Fuller from 1150 acre Cross Leys Farm, is working with Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust and volunteers to erect boxes in hedgerows in his fields bordering Bedford Purlieus Wood. 

Read more:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/dormice-cambridgeshire.html

Wild boar cull to restart in the Forest of Dean

A wild boar cull is to restart in the Forest of Dean after being suspended over fears they could be wiped out.

The Forestry Commission has said its annual cull would begin later this month with the aim of shooting 100 animals by January.

It recently agreed to raise the Dean's target population from 90 boar to 400.

Campaign group Friends of the Wild Boar has "reservations" about the cull restarting, as estimated numbers vary wildly from 200-600.'Open population'

Ian Harvey, from the Forestry Commission in the Dean, said a target population of 400 was "much more realistic" than 90, although the debate over numbers would always continue.

He said: "It's an open population. It's not enclosed by fences so there's movement in and out of the forest depending on food availability and time of year, so whatever methodology you use to try and address numbers it will only ever be an estimate.

"Last year we culled 150 and this year there are more animals about than that - so clearly doing nothing, given their breeding dynamics, is not an option."


Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-19585674

Conservation scheme for 'under threat' Rockingham Forest

A forest in east Northamptonshire is under threat unless ways of making it work in the 21st Century can be found, the Forestry Commission has said.

The Corby Woodland Project is promoting the sale of some trees as timber and firewood in a bid to raise funds to maintain Rockingham Forest.

Steve Scott, from the Forestry Commission, said: "A woodland that pays is a woodland that stays."

The scheme needs to find a profitable 21st Century use for wood, he said.

David Bole from the Forestry Commission said businesses and individuals had been invited to come up with ideas.

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-17524035

Pioneering project aims to restore rare plants on Forestry Commission land at Breckland heath

A 10-hectare area of land at Hockwold Heath was being ploughed up yesterday at the start of the initiative to encourage the regener-ation of rare Breckland wildflower and bird species which had been in decline, some of which are unique to the area. It aims to try and regenerate the rare plants by using a process called soil inversion to plough up the land to bring the sandy, chalky soil underneath back to the surface and then leaving the site to see if the wild flowers will grow.

The first phase next to Weeting Heath was expected to be completed yesterday before the tractor moved on to a separate five-hectare plot in the same area and then a 10-hectare site at East Harling. All three projects should be completed by tomorrow.

The work is being funded and carried out by a number of conservation organisations, including wild plant charity Plantlife, Butterfly Conservation, which protects butterflies and moths, the Forestry Commission and Natural England. Tim Pankhurst, regional conservation manager with Plantlife, said wildflower species had been in particular decline in the area, including a number of rare breeds such as spiked, spring, fingered and Breckland speedwells, Spanish catchfly and the perennial knawel, which is unique to Breckland.

He believed the main cause was climate change, which has caused large amounts of undergrowth on soil which should be bare, which has knotted together to prevent the wildflowers from growing.

Mr Pankhurst said if the project was successful this would represent a major scientific breakthrough as the conservationists are not using seed to encourage the wildflower and lichens to grow, but instead hoping species on the nearby nature reserve at Weeting Heath will colonise the site.

Dominic Bareham, Senior Reporter

Read on:  http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/pioneering_project_aims_to_restore_rare_plants_on_forestry_commission_land_at_breckland_heath_1_1228623

30 more red kites arrive in Lake District

Raptors will spend a month gaining strengthAugust 2011: A landmark Forestry Commission conservation project has entered a new chapter with the arrival of 30 more magnificent birds of prey in Grizedale Forest .

Red kites were successfully reintroduced to the heart of the Lake District in the summer last year. Now their numbers are set to double with new hatchlings arriving from the Forestry Commission's flagship breeding site in Rockingham Forest , Northamptonshire.

The latest group of juvenile raptors are spending a month gaining strength in a custom-made pen at a secret location in Grizedale Forest. An expert team is caring for the young birds and feeding them until they are ready to fly and fend for themselves.

We have great confidence in this reintroduction projectWildlife ranger Iain Yoxall, who has led the project to reintroduce red kites into Grizedale, said: ‘The release of the first 30 birds last year was a momentous sight and has given us cause for great confidence in the project.
‘We are feeding the new arrivals on a variety of food, with the staple diet and nourishment coming from dead grey squirrel, rats and mice. The birds of prey are primarily scavengers in the wild and feed mostly on carrion.

‘We will care for the hatchlings for three or four weeks until they have grown strong enough to take wing, giving them the best possible opportunity to thrive in the wild.'

He added: ‘Before release, we have a vet on hand to give each of the birds a full health screening which includes delousing, worming, visual inspections and blood tests.'

It's a real conservation success‘This project is fast becoming a great conservation success for the Forestry Commission, reintroducing a species that has been missing for well over a century."'

When the birds are released, they carry tags on each wing, an orange one on the left to show they are from Grizedale, and one on the right to indicate the year of release - white ones for 2011.

The Grizedale birds also carry radio transmitters to allow the forest's rangers to monitor their progress and the scheme's success, but the Forestry Commission is keen for people to report sightings of the birds to help judge their movements and support the project.

The Forestry Commission North West England has been granted a special licence to release 90 red kites in Grizedale Forest over a three-year period. The latest arrivals mark the second phase of the landmark final reintroduction of the birds in England . There will be another 30 birds released in 2012.

Red kites were almost eradicated from the UK following changes in farming practices and human persecution between the 16th and 19th centuries. Numbers then recovered slowly thanks to the actions of local conservationists. The UK population is expanding and there are now thought to be more than 1,000 pairs of the birds in the country.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kites-grizedale2011.html#cr