First draft of the proposed management plan..

 So here is my first draft of the management plan, feedback welcomed..

Huyton/Prescot Dell

Management Plan

Friends Of The Dell

(FOTD)

Contents:

·         Introduction

·         Management Objectives

·         Funding/Income

·         Schedule of Works

·         Other Data

·         Conclusion

Introduction

Basic details

Location:

Between Huyton Lane and Liverpool Road with the M57 running beside it,

KINGS BUSINESS PARK,

Knowsley,

Prescot,

L34

Owners:

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS LIMITED

(Co. Regn. No. 993768)

Huddersfield Road,

Elland,

West Yorkshire,

HX5 9B.

Lattitude:

53.427211

Longitude:

-2.8210992

Access Points:

See Fig.1

Site Description

Huyton/Prescot Dell is a small man made wooded area which belonged to a former estate which now consists of a business park (Kings Business Park). There is little history available online about the area but it would seem that the quarry was used to extract the robust metamorphic rock in order to create the boundary walls to the estate. The boundary fencing in place today does not cover this area, however, it is owned by Commercial Development Projects Ltd (a sub group of Marshall CPD).

The area discussed runs from the unused entrance situated on Huyton Lane at the back of the business park and includes: an avenue of trees, a small stretch of wooded grassland between the M57 and the left hand side of the business park, a wooded disused stone quarry with a clearance and a small stretch of overgrown grassland leading to Liverpool Road. (See Fig.1)

The site is currently disused and has fallen subject to antisocial behavior and vandalism. The site contains an array of trees but mainly plays host to Beech and Sycamore.

Meteorological Information:

This information is averaged for the general area, as The Dell is contained it is sheltered from most harsh winds. The site consists of composted leaf litter which also helps retain the moisture. As the site has a mixture of terrain, no drainage ditches are needed. We may look into adding a bog garden or a small pond to the left of the steep slope of spoil.

Soils

Consist of mainly a clay loam, some areas contain a sandy clay loam and the top layer of the wooded dell is a mixture of composting leaves/deadwood giving it good aeration. Soil is densely compacted on pathways.

Tree Cover

Beech (Fagus silvatica), Elder (Sambucas nigra), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), Wild Cherry (Prunus avium), Silver Birch (Betula pendula), Downy Birch (Pendula pubescence), Common Yew (Taxus baccata), Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa), Holly (Ilix aquifolium) and Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.) the canopy structure of the dell can be seen on Fig.2.

Management Objectives

The proposed management objectives for The Dell are as follows:

1.       Make use of fallen deadwood and burnt out trees by cutting sections of the large stems into stools/benches.

2.       Use medium sized limbs to create a clear pathway which follows the already existing desire line around The Dell.

3.       Use medium sized limbs to create shelter and habitat for wildlife under Rhododendron and other sub canopy growth.

4.       Fell dangerous trees that have fallen subject to vandalism and decay.

5.       Construct bird housed from timber and introduce them into tall trees, tying them in with wire.

6.       Construct 3 bat roosts for the large Sweet Chestnut tree.

7.       Clear site of litter and fly tipped waste.

8.       Divide snowdrops into smaller clumps when they are still “in green” to establish more around woodland.

9.       Excavate steps into steep slopes using timber to secure the soil in place (with possibility of hand rail).

10.   Chip smaller branches and limbs between logs on pathways to establish pathway.

11.   Plant native species of trees and shrubs close to fence line and in cleared spaces from burnt out/decayed trees.

12.   Start work on establishing native, bee friendly wild flower meadow in the grassed areas by Huyton Lane and Liverpool Road.

13.   Introduce litter bins for the public to use and set up a management plan for these bins with help from KMBC.

14.   Sculpt any stumps left into mushrooms etc. to give character to the place.

15.   Leave standing deadwood that is a safe distance from the path for bio diversity.

16.   Prune deadwood out of trees close to footpaths.

17.   Carry out conservation pruning in areas away from the footpaths.

18.   Plant native woodland bulbs alongside footpaths and between trees.

19.   Safely remove hung-up wind thrown trees.

20.   Create composting base for cuttings to go.

21.   Maintain composting base.

22.   Maintain wildflower meadows by cutting back to 2”.

23.   Maintain steps looking out for erosion and decay in timber.

24.   Clear out birdhouse waste.

25.   Sow more seeds of desirable wild flowers in meadow (if needed).

26.   Survey trees.

27. Check tree ties/shelters/guards and remove/loosen if needed.

Funding/Income

Funding for this project will be applied for from: Prince’s trust, KMBC, Community Development Foundation, Big Lottery Fund, Co-Operative Community Fund. There has already been a steady response of people willing to help out with the project voluntarily, some of which are unemployed gaining work experience. Others are students studying in a similar field. A tree pack for the trees to be planted will be applied for from the Woodland Trust, this will supply all the trees needed for the project. Any timber will be sourced on site (where appropriate) and any other resources found on site will be recycled in a creative and tasteful manner. Any income (if any) will be ploughed straight back into the project as this is a non-profit group. We will have useful links with Myerscough College in Croxteth park to help students studying Arboriculture understand woodland and habitat management. Currently in talks (at the time of writing) with faculty members regarding students coming in and working on the project for experience in the industry.

Using a community group for voluntary work will raise a sense of pride in the community and have the added benefit of taking future pride and care of the woodland for other generations to enjoy.

Schedule of Works

Year	Spring (March-May)	Summer (June-early September)	Autumn (September-November)	Winter (Late November-end February)
1	MO21, MO7, MO13, MO5, MO12, MO20, MO18, MO8	MO21, MO9, MO7, MO14, MO10, MO26	MO21, MO22, MO9, MO7, MO14, MO10, MO27	MO21, MO7, MO3, MO5, MO24, MO4, MO11, MO6, MO19, MO16, MO17
2	MO21, MO7, MO25,	MO21, MO7,	MO21, MO22, MO7, MO10, MO26, MO27	MO21, MO7, MO24, MO16
3	MO21, MO7, MO25, MO18, MO8	MO21, MO7,	MO21, MO22, MO7, MO10, MO27	MO21, MO7, MO24, MO26, MO16
4	MO21, MO7, MO25, MO26	MO21, MO7,	MO21, MO22, MO7, MO10, MO27	MO21, MO7, MO24, MO16, MO17
5	MO21, MO7, MO25, MO8	MO21, MO23, MO7, MO26	MO21, MO22, MO7, MO10, MO27	MO21, MO7, MO16, MO24

Other Information

The Sweet Chestnut tree at the end of the wooded grassland appears to be rather old. A tree preservation order (TPO) will be applied for to protect this tree and further inspections are to be carried out to conclude if it is an ancient tree or not. Other species look rather old and it would be in the best interests to carry out a tree survey using the DBH equation to determine the average age of the trees.

Conclusion

All of the management objectives are within safe and reasonable timings of the year to enable us to carry out work safely and efficiently, causing as little disturbance to wildlife as possible. They have been thought out carefully with the aim to promote and attract an array of species in the hope to develop sustained bio diversity within The Dell.

With the proposed five year management plan, Commercial Development Projects Limited will have their woodland well managed and used for recreational and conservational purposes. It will help develop community spirit and peoples social and career skills. The project will help to motivate and inspire people giving a real sense of purpose. This disused, decaying area can be enjoyed by dog walkers, runners, ramblers, nature enthusiasts, education etc. if only we get the go ahead to begin applying for funding. This will be an opportunity not to be missed out on.