The history of the Coniston woodlands, Cumbria, UK

The Coniston Basin retains approximately 35% of its area as semi-natural pure and mixed sessile oakwood. This type of woodland is regarded as climax woodland for the English Lake District and its survival in an area where there has been extensive woodland clearance over hundreds of years was ensured because of a local demand for coppice-wood. The woodlands on the interfluves are dominated by Quercus petraea and Betula pubescens whereas mixed deciduous stands containing Ulmus glabra and Tilia cordata are confined to the more inaccessible gorges. This chapter examines the extent to which silvicultural practices such as coppicing and charcoal burning have influenced the structure and composition of woodland communities. Evidence is provided to link the distribution of rare woodland species and communities to inaccessible areas which have a high degree of woodland continuity. Furthermore, the distribution of soil types also forms a series representing decreasing base-status in relation to interference by humans and topography