Howe Park Wood Management Plan Launched

Maintaining the habitats for rare species of butterflies and  protecting the landscape for the future

by Laura Tarry

Purple Emperor

The Parks Trust recently completed and updated an extensive management plan that defines how Howe Park Wood is to be managed for the future. The plan explains how the Trust will continue to maintain and enhance the Semi-Natural Ancient Woodland’s character, biodiversity conservation interest and recreational value of the woodland. Howe Park Wood has ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ (SSSI) status, as designated by Natural England.

The woodland has some unique offerings including that it is a very important woodland habitat for butterflies.  27 species have been recorded in and around the wood over the last 15 years, in comparison only 17 species were recorded when surveys were carried out in 2003 and 2004. The Howe Park species list includes White Admiral Ladoga camilla, Purple Hairstreak Quercusia quercus and Black Hairstreak Satyrium pruni. Black Hairstreak is the rarest of these two species as in the UK it only occurs in the Midland woodland belt. In July 2015, the spectacular Purple Emperor butterfly was recorded in Howe Park Wood for the first time and was also spotted in other woodlands nearby.

White Admiral

Some of the key parts of the plan include:

• Conservation of habitats and biodiversity, including preserving and enhancing the Wood’s characteristics, it’s woodland habitats and protecting species found in it , including the resident Black Hairstreak butterfly and other forms of wildlife.
• Managing the wood to include higher canopy trees, while influencing light levels so there are the right conditions for a healthy mid-storey (future high canopy trees) to flourish, along with a coppiced understorey of  native shrubs and a vibrant and species rich layer of ground vegetation.
• Create better and more favourable habitats for indigenous mammals (including bats), woodland birds and  invertebrates through such measures as creating a mix of habitat and retaining more decaying and dead wood (while ensuring the wood is safe to its visitors)
• Encouraging a diversity of indigenous species,  to help protect the wood from threatening pests and diseases (e.g. Ash Dieback) 
• Providing public access for relaxation and leisure activities (e.g. walking and experiencing the natural and historic environment).
• Providing information about the Wood and enabling it to be used as an educational resource.

Rob Riekie, Landscape and Operations Director at The Parks Trust, said: “We have owned Howe Park Wood since 1992, and we are very privileged to be able to continue to enhance and maintain the site.

 “We’ve always had detailed plans for managing our landscape but in publishing this plan and making it downloadable from the website or available on request we want to help people understand our work better and make it easier for them to access this information.”

You can request a copy of The Howe Park Management Plan by emailing landscape@theparkstrust.com  or calling 01908 233600 or download at: http://www.theparkstrust.com/downloads/h-p-wood-mngt-plan---13-nov15-low-res.pdf