Conservation & Ecology W
oodlands in Britain have been managed since the dark ages, in one form or another, and the words ‘non- intervention management’
are a complete misnomer, the very fact that we exist on the edge of the woodland has a significant impact on the way it would naturally develop.
Trees in the British Landscape
In approximately 11,000BC, after the retreat of the ice age, much of Britain gradually became colonised by trees and, without the constraints of grazing, the country became almost completely covered in wildwood.
The country comprised five main woodland types, the far north of Scotland being birch, below which was what is now known as The Caledonian Pine forest. Then, progressing south as far as the Humber, a forest of oak and hazel (this type of woodland also prevailed in the majority of Wales, Devon and Cornwall.) Further to the south and covering a significantly large area of Lowland England were lime woods and, to the southwest tip of Wales, a forest of elm and hazel.
Whilst some of the characteristics of these woodlands remain today, many have changed mainly due to man’s intervention. From the Mesolithic Period, human clearance of the ancient woodland began in the heathlands to provide grazing. The practice continued through the Neolithic, Bronze Age and early Iron Age. It is thought that, by 500 BC, half of England had ceased to be wildwood and that the lime woods had particularly suffered from the expansion of agriculture.
As early as the Neolithic period, coppicing was the key to woodland management, the re-growth in the form of poles being the main construction material of the period. As man domesticated animals, the practice of pollarding was adopted in order to raise the crop above browsing level. The Doomsday Book (1086) accurately measured that 15% of England was woodland, compared with just over 5% by 1500. By 1086, almost all woodland in England was managed. By 1200, much of the modern landscape of the British
countryside was recognisable. Nearly all of today’s villages and hamlets existed then; the main areas of farmland, moorland and woodland were not markedly different from what they are now, even though the proportion of woodland was three times greater. The early middle ages saw the
extensive creation of private parklands. By 1300, it is estimated that there were around 3,200 parks in England covering 2% of the country, with roughly one park in every four parishes, and that they contained 25% of the country’s woodland.
Although the park tradition declined during the later middle ages, in the very latter years it was revived. Henry VIII created seven parks, including the present St. James and Hyde Parks and the two great parks at Hampton Court. A revival of the parkland landscape tradition occurred in the 18th century with the instigation of professional landscape designers, William Kent (1684- 1748), Lancelot (Capability) Brown (1716-1783) and Humphrey Repton (1752-1818). Their schemes varied from formal gardens, normally adjacent to the house, to the larger parkland landscapes for which they are commonly associated. These often involved enhancing the existing landscape with additions rather than radical transformation. Much of their work involved limited alterations to an existing landscape - removing an avenue, adding a lake, bisecting a wood to open up a vista and planting a belt of trees around the boundary. Although hedges and hedgerow trees
were in evidence during the middle ages, the open field strip agriculture system formed the greater part of England’s landscape. The enclosure acts of the 18th century saw a transformation of large tracts of the English countryside - between 1750 and 1850, probably about 200,000 miles of new hedgerows were planted, at least equal to the previous 500 years. Hedgerow trees thus became a major feature of the landscape. As you can see, what is now considered the ‘natural’ British landscape is, in fact, a landscape of man’s doing and, if we are to maintain what we have grown to love, then management is essential to ensure sustainability.
Trees and Golfing Strategy
When designing or managing woodlands on a golf course, consideration should be given to the shape of the woodland edge in relation to the golfing strategy of holes. Trees can benefit the strategy of a golf hole in many ways. They can be used to frame a fairway, which cannot be seen due to the topography of the site, and can emphasise a dogleg hole by exaggerating the orientation of the fairway or strategically to add interest by creating a heroic carry, which, if negotiated successfully, will reward the player with a birdie opportunity. Tees set into woods create the feeling of seclusion or screen unsightly views. Woodlands can also coalesce, making a fairway appear narrower than it actually is. However, trees form a strong three- dimensional hazard, which can easily destroy the intended strategy of a hole if planted in the wrong place. Trees are a dynamic entity, increasing in size over time, often encroaching on to holes. Care must, therefore, be taken not to simply think that a tree is an appropriate replacement for other hazards such as bunkers, as the ability to play from behind an 80ft tree is somewhat limiting and therefore negates the skill element of the game, unlike a bunker, which allows the better player to expound his skills by playing a heroic shot. With this in mind, trees generally should not be planted adjoining landing areas, but should be positioned between the landing area and the green in order to allow a recovery shot to be played by those who are capable. Another common mistake made by clubs is to use trees to force a dogleg, when, in fact, the strategy laid out by the architect was to tempt players to take on a heroic carry. Though, with modern technology, the challenge may now be diluted, the use of trees in this situation is often incorrect as the same shot is forced on players of all ability. Playing a 6 iron from a tee to a wide fairway, because the dogleg is forced, is uninspiring for all levels of golfer, and removes the essence which goes to make all good golf holes; the mental and physical challenge of deciding, then playing, the correct shot from the tee.
The 4th at North Hants GC before tree work was undertaken ...
... and the same hole opened up as originally intended OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 PC 111
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