Monitoring our Woodlands

Restoring Woodland Habitats and Natural Woodland Processes

We’re working to revive Cumbria’s woodlands, focusing on increasing native trees, expanding woodland area and creating habitats that support a diverse range of wildlife. Our monitoring tracks everything from tree growth to species diversity in these new wood pastures.

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Increased Growth and Survival of Trees

We’re tracking tree recruitment and survival across our core sites to measure the success of our woodland restoration.

Expanding Woodland and Woodland Pasture Areas

By monitoring the growth of woodland and wood pasture areas, we can see how restoration efforts spread across Cumbria’s landscape.

Reduce Deer Browsing Impacts

Managing deer populations helps protect young trees. We’re monitoring the impact of grazing on tree survival to support a healthy woodland.

Species Diversity in Wood Pastures

Creating wood pastures enhances habitats for moths, birds and other wildlife. In 2023, we conducted 96 moth trapping nights across 24 sites, capturing over 2,600 moths representing 112 species. We’re also counting birds using point methods to monitor shifts in biodiversity.

Food Web Complexity in Restored Wood Pastures

Cumbria Connect is studying how food webs change in restored areas, by sampling predatory spiders and beetles and identifying their prey through DNA sampling. This work, which stated with a PhD project in 2024, will help us understand if restoration is building more resilient ecosystems.