Conservation & Ecology


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Legal liability for unsafe trees has become stricter, but often there are options for meeting the requirements of both public safety and conservation


Judas’s Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)


auricula-judae) cohabit eco-piles too! It is, of course, best to leave a decaying


tree standing for woodpeckers, treecreepers and nuthatches to forage in, but it is not always safe to do this on a golf course or near property, so survey the tree carefully before deciding to leave it standing. Saproxylic invertebrates, for example


hoverflies, need eco-piles too! Saproxylic invertebrates are those that depend on decaying wood at some point in their existence. Studies as recent as the turn of this last century discovered that most, if not all, saproxylic species are in decline due to the amount of both live and, subsequent, dead timber taken from the woodland floor. Indeed, the most important habitats for saproxylic invertebrates are tree cracks, leakage of tree sap, decaying sap and decaying sap underneath decaying bark - all of which can be found mainly in tree stumps and dead fallen trees. Try this for size: when a tree shuffles off this mortal coil, one of the first stages of the decaying process is bacterial breakdown of the cambium layer (the cells that produce bark) between the actual bark and the sapwood. The breakdown of the cambium layer can be a slow process at first, but will, after a couple of seasons, encompass the entire underside of the bark thereby separating it from the sapwood. This progression creates cracks and fissures which let in air which, in turn, speeds up the decomposition process; simple! Hoverfly larvae tend to feed on this


aforementioned bacteria. However, they also


have a liking for smaller insect larvae in this zone too, so it really is survival of the fittest down there! A typical characteristic of this particular


microhabitat is that it is usually quite lively and that it will not last that long. Hence, for strong survival rates of saproxylic invertebrates, a continuous supply of eco- piles is required; something us sportsground managers can assist with quite admirably I feel! Historically, however, commercially managed forests have trees harvested before they become of full age and die. Additionally, in more recent years, the drift towards golf course management has led to excessive tidiness, including the removal of less pristine trees, surgery of rotten parts and clearance of fallen timber. Legal liability for unsafe trees has become


stricter, but often there are options for meeting the requirements of both public safety and conservation. For instance, this silver birch tree (right) has succumbed to the brown birch bracket fungus and, as a consequence, has become unstable. The tree is in an out-of-play area in the woodland where very few people go, so why cut it down?


As the picture shows, there are numerous


holes made by Great Spotted Woodpeckers to raise their young - the holes will often be used again by winter roosting birds, including starlings, which are now on the RSPB’s Red List of our declining feathered friends. Bats may take an interest too - both Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) and Serotine (Eptesicus


I must admit that I have seen a rise in earwigs, woodlice and spiders of late, which is something I haven’t mentioned to Mrs H!


98 I PC APRIL/MAY 2014 ”


woodpecker holes


Decaying silver birch and


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