One of Staffordshire’s most important woodlands is being given a makeover to help improve it for the benefit of present and future generations.

The Churnet Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), north of Cheadle, is currently in a poor condition. It is the largest concentration of ancient and native woodland in Staffordshire and also supports an outstanding range of woodland birds and invertebrates.

However, there are concerns about the large number of non-native sycamore trees throughout the woodland. In some areas these trees are casting a shade dense enough to threaten the future of native ground flora, such as wood anenome and early purple orchids.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest were established to conserve and protect the best of the country’s wildlife and geological heritage. Natural England has a target of ensuring that, by 2010, 95% of SSSIs should be in a ‘favourable’ or at least a ‘recovering condition’. The Forestry Commission is supporting work to improve woodland-related SSSI's like the one at Churnet Valley, and has allocated an additional £2m nationally in each of the years 2006/07 and 2007/08. This will be divided between woodland SSSIs in public ownership (managed by the Forestry Commission) and other woodlands in private or local authority ownership through the English Woodland Grant Scheme.


The Forestry Commission has already started work to improve the condition of the part of the SSSI they own. In addition, they are funding work on land owned by Staffordshire County Council and the RSPB. The majority of the “hot spots” requiring urgent action lie in these areas.

The Regional Director for the Forestry Commission West Midlands, Bill Heslegrave, says:

“The Churnet Valley is an important part of our natural heritage and it is essential that we look after it. The unique and varied habitats of woodland SSSI’s like this one have developed over hundreds of years and we need to continue to work hard to conserve and enhance them. “

The improvements will be carried out over a number of years because removal of all of the sycamore trees in one go would be counter productive. A mature woodland canopy, including over mature and dead trees, provides a vital habitat for species such as pied flycatcher, redstart and wood warbler.

The RSPB has already been thinning sycamore trees at Crowgutter and Booths woods. Jarrod Sneyd, the local RSPB warden, says:

“This important work will help to improve the diversity of wildlife in this beautiful area. Some of the wood that we have removed is being sold for timber but we believe there is also the potential for considerable amounts of lower grade timber to be used as woodfuel, which will provide additional environmental benefits through offsetting the use of fossil fuels for heating.”

Next year other owners of some of the smaller areas in the SSSI will be approached to extend the area under improvement. There will also be further work in the areas treated this year. For more information on the grants visit:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/prospectus-2006-west-midlands.pdf/$FILE/prospectus-2006-west-midlands.pdf.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

1. IMAGES AVAILABLE:

2. The Forestry Commission is undertaking work at: Burnt Wood, Fishpool Valley, Areley Wood, Wyre Forest, the Stiperstones and the Hollies, Shrawley Wood, Mortimer Forest, Huglith Mine, Granham’s Moor Quarry, Forest Banks, Fishpool Valley, Elton Lane Cutting, Dimmings Dale and the Ranger, Churnet Valley.

MEDIA CONTACTS: For Information contact Bill Heslegrave on 01905-362730 or Gaynor Birbeck on 01905-362730.