Work is just starting on a new wet scrape (a shallow pond) at Stanground (TL210972) nr Peterborough in Cambridge.
Stanground, a 6.5 hectare Woodland Trust site, already contains 2.5 hectares of woodland and a half hectare osier bed which, as reported in a recent edition of Broadleaf, local craftsman Peter Carter is using to produce traditional woodland products. However, the scrape will be a welcome addition, particularly for wildlife.
Jonathan Plowe, woodland officer, says: ‘The scrape will be half a hectare wide but only 20 cm deep. This will help increase the emergent vegetation; and the reeds, rushes and other plants when established will provide a fantastic environment for invertebrates, amphibians and other wildlife. Being shallow, scrapes usually dry out in summer, which is quite normal, so the best time to view it will be autumn and spring.’
To aid public viewing, the scrape will be divided in two by a causeway that will create a path for pedestrians and allow them a raised level from which to view the scrape. This causeway will connect to the existing biodiversity rich drainage ditch.
On the remaining areas of the site, the Trust aims to manage half for public access and half for wildlife. In some areas, we will create a species rich meadow. Livestock are being used to graze one paddock, because past experience shows that grazing greatly increases the chances of wild flowers developing.
The many willows on site, which look very attractive while also providing excellent habitats for wildlife, are also being put into a rotational coppicing programme.
