Primary - Improved biodiversity: 2011 - Norfolk County Council/Forestry Commission joint Wet Woodland Project

The wet Woodland Project is now coming to a close. The project has targeted wet woodland work in the valleys of the Upper Wensum, Upper Nar and Blackwater rivers.

Initial work by Patsy Dallas of UEA on the landscape history of the area demonstrated how wet woodlands in the area have expanded and contracted in response to economic and tenurial changes.

As the UK Biodiversity Action Plan says:

“Wet woodland combines elements of many other ecosystems and as such is important for many taxa. The high humidity favours bryophyte growth. The number of invertebrates associated with alder, birch and willows, is very large.

Dead wood within the sites can be frequent, and its association with water provides specialised habitats not found in dry woodland types. Wet woodland also provides cover and breeding sites for otters.”

The objectives of the project were to:

• Restore and create wet woodland as part of a mosaic of habitats
• Restore mineral extraction sites to wet woodland where appropriate
• Work to reduce habitat fragmentation in the landscape
• Initial work was undertaken by Mary Russell, and this work has been continued by Rory Hart.

As the project reaches a conclusion it is worth looking at the outputs. To date

	Hectares of wet woodland to be restored	32.27 ha
	Hectares of wet woodland created	6.01 ha
	Number of sites visited	30
	Additional woodland options facilitated under HLS (hectares)	18.5 ha

Contact Details.
Norfolk County Council.
01603 222770