Enrichment and biodiversity of the understorey
Project Area 10 (Ten-year Woodland Management Plan).
Management Tools: halo thinning, succession planting, food reservoirs enhanced, coppicing, supporting insect and fungi habitats.
Our first step towards regenerating and reinforcing the biodiversity of Toll Wood and its enclosed meadow took place in January 2025. With the valuable help of several residents, we planted the public boundary with 500 whips donated by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) as part of their "I Dig Trees" initiative.
The degredation of Toll Wood through prolonged neglect includes the loss of margins and understory pollenators, fruit and nuts on which so many living organisms rely.
The public engagement was the first step in restoring the understorey by bringing biodiversity and support of life in Toll Wood. This action has met Objective 1 of our Woodland Management Plan.
What next? Early in the life of the Trust, we must do some limited and carefully managed felling of trees as part of what is called "halo felling" - letting light reach the woodland floor and encourage balanced growth in the remaining trees, ground plants, and fungi.
