Body
The aim of this protocol is to establish a baseline, and implement ongoing monitoring of Ancient Woodland Indicators (AWIs) at Moss Valley Nature Reserve. This method is not designed to compile a species list for the sites but will provide information on species richness and cover in order to assess trends for the chosen indicators.
Key attributes
- Overall AWI species richness score of ≥10.
- AWI species richness score of ≥4 in at least 80% of woodland grid squares.
- Bluebell
- Cover score of ≥2 in at least 50% of the woodland squares.
- Cover score of 3 in at least 25% of the woodland squares.
- Holly cover
- No squares with a cover score of 3.
- No more than 50% woodland squares with cover score of ≥2. (Holly cover measured during Woodland Condition survey)
Species list
Herbaceous plants
Wild garlic/Ransoms Allium ursinum
Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa
Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium
Alternate-leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium alternifolium
Sweet woodruff Galium odoratum
Bluebell (English) Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Yellow archangel (not variegated) Lamium galeobdolon
Yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum
Common cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense
Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis
Wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella
Primrose Primula vulgaris
Sanicle Sanilcula europaea
Greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea
Wood speedwell Veronica montana
Grasses, sedges and rushes
Remote sedge Carex remota
Greater woodrush Luzula sylvatica
Wood melick Melica uniflora
Wood millet Milium effusum
Horsetails
Wood horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum
Skill level
Surveyors should be able to identify the full list of indicator species.
Surveyors should have botanical skills consummate with a FISC Level 3.
Materials/equipment
Map
GPS
Weather writer and pen/pencil
Survey sheets
Instructions / criteria (see below).
Timing
One visit should be completed in May.
Method
Moss Valley Woodlands has been separated into 1ha grid squares, with a ticklist of species seen completed for each grid square.
Cover scores are to be made from 0-3 whereby 0 is absence, 1 is rare patches and 3 is complete cover of each species, 2 is somewhere between rare and complete cover.
Surveyors should walk a route which covers as much of the site as possible.
References
Field Studies Council (2016) Guide to ancient woodland indicator plants. Telford: FSC Publications.
Rotherham, I., Jones, M., Bee, L., Wright, B. and Ardron, P. (2011) 'What is Ancient Woodland', in Rotherham, I., Jones, M., Smith, L. and Handley, C. (eds.) The Woodland Management Handbook. Sheffield: Wildtrack Publishing.