Caring for our trees and woodland wildlife

Life thrives on diversity. To support a full and thriving population of mammal, bird, insect, fungi and plant life, an environment must have a range of habitats – and this is especially true of woodland. 

Traditional mixed woodland, flourishing many thousands of years ago, would have naturally had this, with thick and shaded layers on the woodland floor, mid-level habitat on the trunks of different species of trees, patches of foliage and dappled light created by trees of different heights and ages, and warmer, brighter areas nearer the tree crowns and canopy, all combining to support range of creatures and their different needs. 

In the past, these layers would have been naturally maintained via grazing native mammals (we’re talking very distant past, so think bison and elephants!). These days, though, careful, regular management is needed to ensure that the conditions that best support a wood’s natural diversity remain in place – and that’s where our ‘Letting the light in’ project comes in. 

Breathing new life into our woodland

The 65-acre gardens at Chiswick House are home to two wooded areas, both of which are lovingly looked after by our team of gardeners and volunteers, who regularly undertake work like coppicing, felling small trees and removing scrub, to keep the woodlands healthy.

However, more care is needed if we are to ensure these areas remain healthy and diverse for years to come. That’s why we’re starting ‘Letting the light in’: an ambitious new programme of work, funded by the Rewild London initiative, to manage the woods in a way that boosts their biodiversity, protects natural ecosystems and guards the health of our precious mature trees, including our oaks, conifers, sweet chestnut and limes.

Right now, the woods here are overgrown and unbalanced. Holly, Cherry Laurel and invasive Rhododendron have thrived at the expense of other plants, blocking out the light, creating thick, dark foliage with limited value to wildlife, inhibiting struggling trees and destroying the natural variations (dappled open patches and warmer, lighter clearings) that would naturally support a full variety of butterflies, beetles, bats, flowers and birds.

We have a range of wildlife already living in our grounds, including hedgehogs, several species of bat (including Daubentons bats), Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and many, many insects, including Speckled Wood, Comma, Green-veined White, Peacock, Red Admiral and Orange-tip butterflies and beautiful Solider Beetles, Ladybirds and Stag Beetles.

But to boost numbers, and help even more species thrive, it’s vital we manage our woods responsibly. That’s why we’ve taken advice from expert organisations like the Woodland Trust, as well as Rewild London themselves, to do this in the most effective way possible.

Chiswick House’s ‘Letting the light in’ initiative is an encouraging example of how carefully planned woodland management can protect trees, increase biodiversity and provide precious, much-needed habitat for our native birds, invertebrates and mammals.

The Woodland Trust is committed to protecting the UK’s woods and trees, preventing the loss of irreplaceable habitat and nature – and it’s vital that parks and green spaces in London, as well as more rural areas, play their part in this conservation work.

I look forward to seeing the benefits of this project – healthier trees, more spaces for wildlife and a thriving woodland ecosystem – emerge across the next few years and beyond.

John Tucker, Senior Relationship Development Manager, Ambassador
The Woodland Trust

What will we be doing?

• Undertaking detailed surveys of our woodlands
• Drawing on the expertise of several partners, planning works to begin a new approach to management with biodiversity in mind
• Removing dominant invasive species (like Holly, Laurel and Rhododendron)
• Removing or reducing self-sown trees and shrubs that are inhibiting existing mature trees
• Developing new dead hedges and habitat piles
• Planting new trees, shrubs and bulbs
• Managing areas for biodiversity including glades.

What it might look like – and why you shouldn’t worry!

When this work first begins, it might appear alarming and even a little brutal: you’re going to see us cutting away areas of foliage, clearing spaces within the woods and removing some plants and shrubs.

There will be noise, from the work parties, as well as some taped-off areas, with some temporary restrictions for visitors.

Please don’t worry. While it’s tempting to think that the best way to manage wild areas is to simply let them “go wild”, this sadly isn’t true in today’s human-centric world – and, across the next five years and beyond, the work we’re doing on this site will have tangible, visible benefits, for our wildlife, our loyal visitors and our local community.

There will also be ongoing opportunities for visitors to find out more, taking part in guided woodland walks, and to get involved themselves as volunteers.

What steps have we taken to protect our trees and wildlife, maximise the benefits of this work, and ensure everything we’re doing is right for this area?

We’ve taken expert advice from The Woodland Trust and members of the Ancient Tree Forum, and have commissioned conservation experts to carry out tree, ecological and wildlife surveys ahead of beginning work. You can download and read these here.

Upcoming events

Keep an eye on this space for woodland walks and volunteering opportunities later this year