Thread by @woodlandbirder

Our new #rewilding paper: Slow development of woodland vegetation & bird communities during 33 years of passive rewilding in open farmland.

Where tree seed sources & dispersers were scarce, a shrubland mosaic developed, full of songbirds eg. warblers.
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
1/n

Hawthorn & bramble dominated, probably dispersed by thrushes, with open grassland/herbs & swampy wetlands, where ditches filled & failed. Masses of blossom & fruits, inc blackberries, haws & feral apples. 2/n

Trees were rare, because nearest major source of seeds was a wood 1.5 km away. Also no local Jays to plant acorns. Deer weren’t common, about 1 Roe per 5 ha (no muntjac yet). Big contrast with our prev study of natural regeneration at Monks Wood:
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
3/n

We modelled the vegetation with field surveys & drone LiDAR, enabling separation of bramble thickets from hawthorn & other shrubs/trees by canopy watershed analysis, very useful! 4/n

The habitat mosaic didn’t result in quick woodland, unlike at Monks Wood, but the Shrubland mosaic had higher densities of songbirds than local farmland. We suspect the mass of blossom all spring/summer was also great for pollinators, wetlands also great for wildlife. 5/n

Rewilding this urban fringe site gave locals access to nature for popular recreation & berry picking, unavailable on local farmland. Hedges didn’t fare well, mostly subsumed in wider thickets, but habitat began to echo wet Carr, from pre drainage era, a lost local landscape. /end

@JMBecologist @Wes_E_Payne @AcroDWade @DrScholefield @Maziarz_Marta @UKCEHPapers @aBugBlog @KneppWilding @RewildingB

A nice write up of this site and it’s social setting by @angus_young61 here: yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/environme…