Characteristics of lowland broadleaved woodland being restocked by natural regeneration

A survey of 78 sites in southern England with approved managementplans for restocking by natural regeneration was made duringthe summers of 1993 and 1994. The following features were recorded:species, stocking, canopy cover and seed-bearing potential oftrees present in the overstorey; species and canopy cover ofthe understorey; ground cover; species, browsing damage, numberand heights of tree seedlings. In general, sites were poorlystocked with overstorey trees having an average of 135 stemsha^–1 and a mean canopy cover of 36 per cent. Similarly,the understoreys were poorly developed with an average coverof only 23 per cent. Twenty-nine species of tree were foundin the overstorey, Quercus spp. and Fraxinus excelsior werethe most common. Many of the stems present had poor seed-bearingpotential. Cover of the ground flora often exceeded 75 per cent.Seedlings were present on most sites, with F. excelsior andBetula pendula being most abundant with mean seedling densitiesexceeding 10000 ha^–1. Most seedlings were >20 cm tall,few exceeded 120 cm. About 30 per cent of seedlings were browsed.The results are related to current guidance and the future prospectsfor use of natural regeneration.