Publication details
Yarncliff Wood at Hathersage: initial assessment of the impacts of sixty years of sheep exclosure on an upland Pennine ancient wood
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Landscape Archaeology and Ecology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Botany |
| Keywords | pasture exclosure; vegetation development; ancient wood |
| Description | The study re-visits the areas enclosed to prevent sheep grazing in the 1950s and then in the 1980s in Yarncliff Wood, Peak District national park, UK. A significant vegetation change was observed, including vigorous tree and shrub regeneration and the re-appearance of ‘ancient woodland indicators’ and other woodland plants. The unenclosed part of the wood was characterised by the presence of species of open areas and disturbed stands. The number of birch seedlings in the enclosure declined markedly over the period, whereas the numbers of oak, rowan and beech seedlings increased. A distribution of height and girth values, demonstrates a gradual change in the tree species composition towards a more extensive admixture of rowan and beech and a slight decline of oak and birch. |