Mike is right about it not being primeval. There is a definition here: http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/findoutmore/planforactionmore/ancient .htm
there is an area of ancient woodland close to me (Oxleas Wood, about 4km away) which apparently dates back 8,000 years, although it has of course been managed - for example, many of the trees are pollarded. obviously the powers that be would like to build a motorway through it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxleas_Wood -- Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of AlunFoto > Sent: 03 July 2007 13:23 > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > Subject: Re: Strip lynchets, a gathering storm and the lamb of God > > Is 600 years the qualifying age for ancient woodland in UK? > > Up here in the Frostpit we reckon 300 years, but perhaps that's just a > practical limit to single out some areas more "worthy" of protection > than others. I'd reckon that absolutely all coniferous forest (well... > we don't have much deciduous stuff anyway...:-) ) up here has been > logged at some time or another. > > Jostein > > > 2007/7/2, mike wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > Bob W wrote: > > >>Very nice gallery. Pretty countryside (England looks so > > >>manicured compared > > >>to California). Age, I think, mainly. How long one has been > > >>settled vs the > > >>other. > > > > > > > > > probably. That part of the country has been inhabited continuously > > > since the end of the last Ice Age, I think. Deforestation happened > > > over several thousand years, and there has been > agriculture there for > > > about 6,000 years. Dorset grew rich off sheep farming during the > > > Georgian period, and the hedgerows would have been > planted following > > > the Enclosures of the 18th (?) century. > > > > > > There are still some primeval woodlands in the region, > but not much, > > > so practically the whole countryside is man-made. > > > > Ancient woodland, meaning over about 600 years old. The > only primeval > > (meaning never managed) woodland (and that's debateable) in > Europe is on > > the Poland/Belarus border. Apart from a few blanket and > raised bogs, > > the whole of the UK landscape is created by Mankind. > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > [email protected] > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > > > -- > http://www.alunfoto.no/galleri/ > http://alunfoto.blogspot.com > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
