Manifesto for Chilterns Wildlife

Woodland

The lifeblood of the Chilterns

The Chilterns, famous for its beech woodlands, is one of the most wooded landscapes in England and over half of this is ancient woodland. Woodlands in the Chilterns were historically the lifeblood of the region supporting the local economy and communities and now form a core habitat of our ecological networks. Our woodlands also have great potential to help us combat the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration, improving water quality, natural flood management and offering a source of sustainable building materials.

However, now many woodlands are neglected, fragmented, and damaged by a plethora of pests and diseases and new trees rarely survive to replace the mature trees.

Our Manifesto

1. The Chilterns Landscape

2. Chalk Streams

3. Woodlands

4. Grasslands & Commons

5. Farming & Wildlife

We are committed to:

Preventing the loss of important woodland habitat
Increasing the amount of woodland
Ensure existing woodland is resilient and managed sustainably
Supporting the creation of a woodland strategy for the Chilterns
Reducing the impact of pests and diseases affecting our woodlands

We will:

Support Chiltern woodland owners by providing advice and practical support
Facilitate local volunteers to support woodland management
Support tree planting projects that put ‘the right tree in the right place’
Ensure woodland on our own reserves is in positive management
Promote best practice woodland management
Seek to ensure that policies in Local Plans and planning applications protect important woodland habitats