Sustainable Management of Deciduous Woodlands (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Case Study: New Forest

• Sustainable forestry (as defined at the Helsinki conference) is:

  • ‘The use of forests and lands in such a way, and at such a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity and regenerative capacity’

Features of Deciduous Woodland Sustainable Management 

New Forest National Park

• New Forest is located on the south coast of England

• Covers 480km2

• Approximately 175,000 people live in the area

• Popular with tourists (brings £500 million)

• Annually, there are 15 million visitors

• Visitors trample on plants, cause erosion by walking, drop litter, and start fires with BBQs

• Animals are sometimes hit by cars

• Commercial logging occurs so access is restricted

• Approximately 40% of woodland is privately owned and not managed

Management in the New Forest

• New trees are planted to replace those cut down

• Pesticide use is limited to prevent damage to the ecosystem

• Work is restricted between April and August, which minimises the disturbance to nesting birds

• Sustainable transport schemes for tourists (bike and electric car hire)

  • This helps to reduce congestion and air pollution

• Landowners funded to plant native tree species by NPA (National Park Authority)

• Awareness-raising by NPA on the importance of sustainability in New Forest

• Green Leaf Tourism Scheme: businesses use local products where possible, encourage walking and cycling, and set aside 10% of land for local wildlife

• Local landowners get grants from the NPA to help improve biodiversity in their woodlands