Recent Monitoring

The Trust reviews annually how key habitats and species are responding to its management regimes. This last year has seen a typical year with monitoring of several woodland, grassland and heathland sites. These have included Lloyds Coppice, Dale Coppice, Lincoln Hill, and Oilhouse Coppice and pastures.

The surveys have demonstrated that all of the sites reviewed were in good condition, although some issues that need to be addressed were highlighted. In woodlands such as Dale Coppice and Lincoln Hill, beech and sycamore regeneration was recognised as a particular concern, as was the increasing amount of holly in the understorey. New management plans in preparation will detail how these issues will be tackled.

The years monitoring also highlighted the importance of the Trusts woods and grasslands for dingy skipper, green hairstreak and white-letter hairstreak butterflies. This latter species is the most abundant, its caterpillars able to feed on the widespread elm growing in the woods and hedgerows of the Gorge.