Woodland Management The Traditional Way

Paul Loughnane led a fascinating walk around Thornton Common, explaining its history as common land and why it survived enclosure, and the current management. Wirral Countryside Volunteers have managed the Common on behalf of Wirral Borough Council for over 20 years. They have opened up the ponds, at least one of which now supports Great Crested Newts and several dragonfly species. They have also pollarded trees, laid hedges and made a woodland ride, attracting orange tip butterflies to breed. Management of this site and Thornton Wood has won several awards, including the Dragonfly Award from Mersey Basin Campaign. From there we went down the road to Tom's Paddock (a grassland Local Wildlife Site, just showing cuckoo flower and orchids), into Foxes Wood (CWT reserve and part of Dibbinsdale SSSI). Bitter-vetch was just in flower - an uncommon species in Wirral and western Cheshire. Bluebells, moschatel and golden saxifrage were flowering. Across the road and back via Little Thornton Common into Thornton Wood, another CWT reserve, also managed by Wirral Countryside Volunteers. Here we were treated to excellent displays of native bluebells, wood anemones, wood sorrel, ferns, kingcups and other woodland plants. We visited the coppice coups, which are cut on rotation every 6 years to provide stakes for hedge laying and sticks for beans. Paul explained the process, and the increased yield each time they have been coppiced, following  a long period of neglect.