ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AND HABITAT CREATION Tim Walmsley Manchester Airport Philip Putwain University of Liverpool Elizabeth Barratt Consultant Ecologist
CONSTRUCTION OF RUNWAY 2: 1997-2001 (COMPLETION) Runway 1 Runway 2
Create a habitat network outside but around the new runway to attract and cater for as many species as possible Ensure as far as possible that populations of protected species especially bats, badgers and newts are maintained or increased Establish habitats of as high a quality as possible to replace those lost to the development Maintain, enhance or restore existing habitats Maintain an effective landscape screen for the intrusive features of the new development 350 ha Network of habitats surrounding the runways Creation of new habitats graslands ponds hedgerows woodlands - scrub
BOLLIN VALLEY ANCIENT WOODLANDS LOST TO THE DEVELOPMENT East Woodend Wood Donor Site Not all of Hooksbank Wood was ancient woodland Receptor Site Hooksbank Wood Donor Site 2 woodland types W8 (ash-mapledog s mercury woodland) and W10 (oakbracken-bramble woodland) were heavily invaded by sycamore
IMPACT ON SEMI NATURAL ANCIENT WOODLAND 113 hectares of woodland in the Sites of Biological Interest (SBI s) in the Bollin Valley from Styal to the M56, mostly but not exclusively of ancient origin 1263 ha of semi - natural ancient woodland in Cheshire Development resulted in the loss of 4.3 ha of SBI woodland (not all of which is ancient) equates to 3.8% of the woodland in the valley and 0.3% of that in Cheshire
Bollin valley woodlands before the construction of Runway 2 Two areas of ancient woodland lost to the development Ancient woodland = land with continuous woodland cover since at least 1600
Impact on Hooksbank Wood minimised by: Reducing the width of the runway from 400m to 300m as it crosses the River Bollin Steepening the embankments to minimise land take
HOOKSBANK WOOD TYPICAL GROUND FLORA RAMSOMES (ALLIUM URSINUM) DOMINANT BLUEBELL (HYACINTHOIDES NON-SCRIPTA) Early May
Possible Risks of Proposed Mitigation by Translocation Even though the best possible woodland would be created this can only be regarded as limited mitigation for the loss of ancient woodland Intact ancient soils and historical context would be lost Not all plant species would survive translocation Intimate pattern of communities would be lost Time lag before the new woodland functions in a similar way to the existing woodland However over time the approach should provide a better habitat than the disturbed and recently established part of Hooksbank Wood which accounted for a significant portion of the woodland lost
MITIGATION FOR THE WOODLAND LOSSES Differing opinions about the proposed mitigation Macclesfield Borough Council: better management of the existing habitats would provide more appropriate mitigation Manchester Airport response: the existing woodlands are already of relatively high value Cheshire Wildlife Trust: woodland translocation would be better conducted by spreading the soils into areas of secondary woodland Manchester Airport response: since the ancient woodlands affected all lie on the steep valley sides, with the sequence of changing soils from top to bottom of the slope, the recipient site must also show the same variation. No secondary woodlands in the vicinity which would fulfil these requirements
All native trees and shrubs with the exception of holly and shrubs less than 500mm in height were felled prior to translocation Certain ground flora species were translocated by hand: Hard shield fern Alternate-leaved golden saxifrage Early purple orchid Thin-spiked wood sedge Spindle Trees and shrubs together with their root balls and as much of their associated soil as possible were moved at the same time 1995 2014 Acer psuedoplanatus 13-59 1-3 Alnus glutinosa - 1-2.5 Betula pendula 1 4 Fraxinus excelsior 2-30 6-16 Pinus sylvestris 0-7 - Prunus avium - 2-2.5 Quercus robur 4.5-13 4-10 Ulmus glabra 4-7 2.5 Corylus avellana 0-10 26-40 Crataegus monogyna 3-47 13-25 Ilex aquifolium 5 0.6 Malus sylvestris 1 0.6 Prunus spinosa - 2-4 Salix caprea - 1.5-4 Salix cinerea - 3-4 Sambucus nigra 4.5-34 0.5-1 Viburnum opulus 0-4 4.5-10 Sorbus aucuparia 1-9 - Percentage composition of tree flora 1995 v 2014
Preparing the site for translocation of soils and vegetation
Placed soil at receptor site: note logs placed for deadwood
First growing season: dominant Allium ursinum Second growing season: regenerating stumps Fraxinus excelsior
WOODLAND TRANSLOCATION RECEPTOR SITE - 2005 Dense Rubus spp. 6 microspecies identified
GROUND FLORA - RECEPTOR SITE 2007 - APRIL Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa Red campion Silene dioica Dog s mercury Mercurialis perennis
GROUND FLORA - RECEPTOR SITE - 2009 Wych elm Ulmus glabra Primrose Primula vulgaris
WOODLAND TRANSLOCATION RECEPTOR SITE - 2011
WOODLAND TRANSLOCATION RECEPTOR SITE 2011 - MAY
GROUND FLORA - RECEPTOR SITE 2011 Wild garlic Allium ursinum Sweet woodruff Galium odoratum
WOODLAND TRANSLOCATION RECEPTOR SITE - 2015
NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION - UK COMPARISON CONTROL v TRANSLOCATED UK NVC YEAR SITE W1 CONTROL SITE W5 CONTROL SITE W2A TRANSLOCATED SITE W4 TRANSLOCATED 1995 W8f W10 N/A N/A 2007 W8f W8b W8f W12a W24a W24 W24 W24a 2015 W8b W10 W8b W10b W8b W10b W8f W8b W8 Fraxinus excelsior Acer campestre Mercurialis perennis b Anemone W10 Quercus robur Pteridium Rubus fruticosus b Anemone W24 Rubus fruticosus Holcus lanatus scrub
All native trees and shrubs with the exception of holly and shrubs less than 500mm in height were felled prior to translocation Certain ground flora species were translocated by hand: Hard shield fern Alternate-leaved golden saxifrage Early purple orchid Thin-spiked wood sedge Spindle Trees and shrubs together with their root balls and as much of their associated soil as possible were moved at the same time 1995 2014 Acer psuedoplanatus 13-59 1-3 Alnus glutinosa - 1-2.5 Betula pendula 1 4 Fraxinus excelsior 2-30 6-16 Pinus sylvestris 0-7 - Prunus avium - 2-2.5 Quercus robur 4.5-13 4-10 Ulmus glabra 4-7 2.5 Corylus avellana 0-10 26-40 Crataegus monogyna 3-47 13-25 Ilex aquifolium 5 0.6 Malus sylvestris 1 0.6 Prunus spinosa - 2-4 Salix caprea - 1.5-4 Salix cinerea - 3-4 Sambucus nigra 4.5-34 0.5-1 Viburnum opulus 0-4 4.5-10 Sorbus aucuparia 1-9 - Percentage composition of tree flora 1995 v 2014
Breeding Bird Survey 1995 7 resident species - confirmed as breeding Birds of Conservation Concern Rapid decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years Moderate decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years Breeding Bird Survey 2015 16 resident species breeding 1 migrant species breeding Garden Warbler Pairs 2015 Pairs 1995 Wren 13 2 Dunnock 1 1 European Robin 8 -- Blackbird 8-10 -- Song Thrush 3 -- Blackcap 6 -- Lesser Whitethroat Common Whitethroat Willow Warbler 1 -- 1 -- -- 1 Chiffchaff 4 -- Wood pigeon Long-tailed Tit 4 1 1 - Blue Tit 1 -- Great Tit 1 1 Chaffinch - 1 Goldfinch 1 - Bullfinch 1 - Total Spp 16 7
Woodland Bat Communities Cheshire Woodlands Donor Woodland Area 1995 Mature Woodland adjacent to Translocated Woodland Translocated Woodland Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) Pipistrelle species* Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) Daubentons bats (Myotis daubentonii) Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) Whiskered bat (Myotis mysticanus) Noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)** Natterers bats (Myotis nattererii) Natterers bats (Myotis nattererii) Brandts bat (Myotis brandtii) Daubentons bats (Myotis daubentonii) Whiskered/Brandts bat*** Natterers bats (Myotis nattererii) Whiskered/Brandts bat*** Myotis species Daubentons bats (Myotis daubentonii) Myotis species Noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)** Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) Noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)** Leislers bat (Nyctalus leislerii)** Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) Noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)** Translocated Woodland Common pipistrelle Soprano pipistrelle Myotis species
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING Tim.Walmsley@manairport.co.uk (Tim Walmsley) philp@liverpool.ac.uk (Phil Putwain) ecobats@btinternet.com (Elizabeth Barratt) Document Title 10/09/2016 26