Ancient woods in Dudley could take 20 years to recover from tree plague
An ancient woodland hit by a deadly disease affecting trees could take 20 years to get back to its former glory, says the man in charge of the restoration project.
Alder Coppice, in the Sedgley area of Dudley, reopened this month following a month-long operation to chop down 32 trees infected with ash dieback disease, and to cut back 10 more.
But the work has left the woodland, which dates back more than 500 years, in need of massive restoration work, turning the ancient wildlife habitats into a muddy quagmire, and having destroyed the woodland paths.
Simon Biggs, chairman of the Friends of Alder Coppice, said volunteers had already begun work replacing the paths through the nature reserve, but it would be a long process.
Mr Biggs said many of the trees lost during the work were between 100 and 200 years old.
"I think it will be 20 years before it starts to look anywhere like it was," said Mr Biggs, a retired biology teacher.
"Nature will do most of the work for us, but it will take some time.
"It will never be the same as it was, or certainly not in my lifetime."
Work has begun re-seeding the renowned bluebell woods, but Mr Biggs said it would be six or seven years before they were back to their former glory.
He said the original plan had been to fell 303 trees in the reserve, but Dudley Council agreed to redraw its plans after objections from the Friends group.
"Having seen the damage that has been caused by the contractors while this work has been carried out, one can only imagine what it would have been like if it was 303," said Mr Biggs.
But he praised Dudley Council for its co-operation with the Friends group, saying it had done what it could to keep the damage to a minimum. He said the authority had little choice but to carry out the work.
"Dudley's first consideration, quite rightly has been for public safety, you can't risk having a tree falling on somebody's house," he said.
The contractors have left a mound of wood-chippings and logs behind, which the 20-strong team of volunteers will use to rebuild the footpaths that have been lost.
"Repair of the paths is not just throwing some wood chip on the top of the mud," said Mr Biggs.
"If you do this it simply sinks into the mud, and you with it.
"The first step is to cut short straight lengths of timber, by hand, and lay these into the mud.
"Then, wood chip is scattered on top of the logs providing a dressing which gives a smooth comfortable pathway for people to use."
Alder Coppice, off Northway, is one of the 10 largest ancient woodands in the West Midlands, defined as dating back to at least 1600 AD and having developed irreplaceable, complex ecosystems.
Mr Biggs said there would be a tree replacement programme in the autumn, with three trees being planted for every one that has been lost.
A new hedgerow has also been planted at the Northway entrance to the woods, to screen it from the road.
"That will probably grow to 20ft or 30ft, so it is not the really tall trees like in the main woodland, but provides a gradual screening to the woods," said Mr Biggs.
"With extra light on the forest floor we may see new wild flowers not seen before," he said.
"Nature has a way of putting itself right and I’m confident that with our help, Alder Coppice will thrive again."
The Friends of Alder Coppice is seeking new volunteers. Anybody able to help can email Mr Biggs on [email protected]
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