This has been our aim at Wild Ingleborough

We wanted to establish trees to act as seed sources for the surrounding area largely due to the lack of tree cover in the Yorkshire Dales.

The tree cover currently stands at just 4% with one quarter of that being native broadleaf, the rest being timber plantation. Our planting has focussed on linking up existing fragments of woodland and introducing fingers of trees and montane shrub species up the fell in ghylls and watercourses where there is currently no seed source.

Native species we’ve planted include holly, rowan, silver and downy birch, oak, wild privet, purging buckthorn, spindle and hazel to name a few. These pockets will act as microhabitats for invertebrates, mammals and birds to inhabit. We’ve already noticed loads of interesting species using willows as food plants.

From seed to source

We also want our trees to spread their seeds all over Ingleborough and find their way into limestone grykes (the gaps in the pavement), wet ghylls and bare ground that our cattle and their large hooves have provided (free of charge!).

This is already happening as we see rowan, hawthorn and blackthorn emerging out of the grykes.

Tree species spread seed through wind, water, nuts or fruit. It is amazing to learn more about the intricate systems that take place around us and seed spreading is one of those systems which, when fully functioning, is an incredible example of how nature thrives as a whole system.

These co-evolved systems requiring jays to bury acorns, mice to store away seeds, rowan berries to pass through a bird or badger, or water ways to transport alder or willow seeds to new land are incredibly important and need to be facilitated or at least not impeded.

Where populations are potentially too small to naturally re-establish, often due to isolated individuals, we are stepping in to facilitate the process. One species that needs our help is the rock whitebeam. Locally very rare, this species produces wonderful large red berries that almost look like miniature apples.

With kind permission of a local landowner and consents from Natural England in place, we have collected berries, processed the seed and planted them in our upland nursery here at Wild Ingleborough HQ. These will be grown in the nursery for up to 4 years until they are strong enough to plant out.

How we manage the land

Our land management involving free-roaming cattle and tree planting is hoping to facilitate natural processes. In essence, more trees provide habitat, perches and food for species. Our cattle create tracks and poach the ground increasing the likelihood of seeds finding open soil and being able to successfully germinate.

As we create a more diverse mosaic of habitats, we are hoping to support more and increasingly varied species to move through the landscape, in turn increasing the number and types of seeds being spread. More food to support winter birds, increased tree seed dispersal and subsequently more trees and more food. Simple really, and yet through intense land use, it is difficult for natural systems such as these to function.

Our research officers from the University of Leeds are surveying the process of natural regeneration of trees in relation to grazing regimes and proximity to established woodland. With this we hope to be constantly learning from what is happening around us and what the system needs to function in its entirety.

The Wild Ingleborough project strives to facilitate these natural processes and we’re excited to see the changes every year as this side of Ingleborough becomes more ecologically functional and able to ebb and flow with the changes in seasons and climate.