Hunnacott Farm, near Bratton Fleming in North Devon, contains around 10 acres of established mixed broadleaf woodland alongside areas of steep rough grassland. Having recently purchased the land, the owner contacted The Habitat Restoration Co. to better understand what he had taken on and make sure the woodland was being managed properly for the long term. What began as a woodland management enquiry developed into two linked pieces of consultancy work: a 10-year Woodland Management Plan and a Tree Planting, Establishment & Aftercare Plan for adjoining land.
Client Brief
The first part of the brief was to assess the existing woodland and provide a practical management plan that protected its character and ecological value while identifying where intervention would genuinely be beneficial.
The woodland itself was particularly impressive. Mature and veteran trees, established hazel, deadwood, a wooded stream corridor and a ground layer containing bluebells, primroses, ferns, mosses and liverworts give parts of the site characteristics associated with Atlantic or temperate rainforest habitat.
The second part was to consider approximately 3.3 acres of adjoining steep rough grassland for native tree planting. The aim was to increase tree cover and habitat connectivity while keeping the landscape open enough to retain grassland and potentially allow sheep grazing in future.
THRC Solution
For the existing woodland, we produced a 10-year management framework based around gradual, low-impact intervention rather than wholesale clearance or uniform thinning.
Recommendations included protecting mature and veteran trees, introducing rotational hazel coppicing, selective thinning where genuinely required, proportionate management of ash dieback, retaining standing and fallen deadwood, encouraging natural regeneration and protecting the woodland-floor vegetation. The stream corridor was treated as the most ecologically sensitive part of the site, with opportunities for wildlife monitoring and small-scale Natural Flood Management also identified.
For the adjoining grassland, we designed a low-density native silvopasture and open woodland scheme using approximately 550 trees and shrubs.
Rather than planting conventional rows, the design uses scattered individual trees, irregular groups, shrub-rich margins and deliberately retained areas of open grassland. Species including Sessile Oak, Silver Birch, Rowan, Wild Cherry, Hawthorn, Hazel and Holly were selected to provide long-term canopy structure alongside blossom, fruit, shelter and wildlife value.
The plan also addressed the practical challenges of the site, including steep ground, exposure to prevailing weather, high deer pressure and the need for a managed five-year establishment period.
End Result
The landowner now has two practical, site-specific plans covering both the management of the existing woodland and the establishment of new native tree cover.
Rather than treating the two areas separately, the recommendations allow the farm to develop as one connected landscape — protecting an already valuable woodland while gradually extending woody habitat onto the adjoining valley side.
Importantly, the plans do not try to over-manage the site. Existing veteran trees, deadwood, ground flora and natural regeneration are retained where possible, while the new planting has been designed to complement the woodland and hedgerows already present.
Together, the plans provide a clear framework for how Hunnacott Farm can be managed and developed over the coming years, while retaining the qualities that make the site special in the first place.