Ancient Gill Woodland & Secondary Woodland
Ancient Gill Woodland & Secondary Woodland
There is 287 ha of woodland within Hastings & St. Leonards, which amounts to about 9% of the borough. 145 ha of this woodland is ancient woodland, existing since at least 1600 AD. This amounts to 4.7% of the borough. Much of this ancient woodland is gill woodland occurring alongside naturally cut freshwater streams. Fairlight Glen, Marline Wood and Old Roar Gill are excellent examples of very steep gill streams cut into the underlying sandstone, siltstone and mudstone of the Ashdown Formation and Wadhurst Clay Formation.
​
The majority of this ancient woodland resource is lowland mixed deciduous woodland in some sites having components of oak-hornbeam forest and alder, willow & birch dominated wet woodland growing along the edge of gill streams. This is an irreplaceable natural resource that cannot be re-created once lost and is biologically very rich. The ancient gill woodland in Hastings contains some of the rarest and most threatened wildlife in the borough. The larger blocks of ancient woodland in Hastings are protected by nature conservation designations such as SAC, SSSI and LNR. But some areas occur outside these protected areas and are vulnerable to habitat degradation.
​
Amongst the most important components of ancient gill woodland are the bryophyte (moss & liverwort) communities, fungal communities, vascular plant communities and invertebrate assemblages especially those associated with gill streams.
​
The coastal location of Hastings creates a humid frost-free microclimate within these gill woodlands. This enables species with a more western or northern distribution in Britain to survive and thrive in these south-eastern woodlands. Probably the most important example of this is the population of Dumortier’s liverwort Dumortiera hirsuta in Fairlight Glen. A recent study by Natural England found nearly 50% of the English population of this nationally rare oceanic liverwort within Fairlight Glen. This species is also listed as a species of principal importance in England under the NERC Act 2006, Section 41.
​
The gill woodlands of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, Marline Valley and Old Roar Gill are especially rich in mosses and liverworts. Many rare and scarce species have been found including Freiberg’s screw-moss Tortula freibergii and river pocket-moss Fissidens rivularis. The same habitat is also required for rare ferns such as Killarney fern Trichomanes speciosum, although only the more widespread gametophyte generation has been recorded in Hastings. The extremely rare and vulnerable sporophyte generation is one of the rarest and most threatened plants in Europe.
​
Ancient woodlands can be botanically very rich in vascular plants (horsetails, ferns, conifers & flowering plants). A number of these plants are particularly associated with ancient woodlands and are used as ancient woodland indicators to assess whether a woodland is ancient in combination with historical information. Many of the ancient woodlands in Hastings have a high number of ancient woodland indicators and contain species such as bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, broad-leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, butcher’s broom Ruscus aculeatus, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus, pignut Conopodium majus, ramsons Allium ursinum, toothwort Lathraea squamaria, violet helleborine Epipactis purpurata, wild service tree Sorbus torminalis and yellow archangel Lamium galeobdolon.
​
Other scarcer plants also occur within ancient woodland in Hastings including coralroot bittercress Cardamine bulbifera. This plant has quite a restricted distribution in Britain found mostly in damp woodland in the south-east of England. Church Wood is a particular stronghold for the species in Hastings and large patches of the plant also occur in much of the remnant ancient woodland throughout Hollington.
​
Ancient woodland is also especially rich in invertebrates and some of the most spectacular insects to be found in Hastings breed within these woodlands. One of the largest and heaviest moths in Britain, the goat moth Cossus cossus, has been found in two sites in Hastings recently. The caterpillar of this moth can take up to five years to grow within the living wood of oak or ash. The sap runs produced by goat moth burrows are an important microhabitat providing food for woodland butterflies, hoverflies and hornets.
​
One of the most beautiful of woodland butterflies, the white admiral Limenitis camilla, is common within some woods in Hastings. The larvae of this species feed on honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum growing in dappled light within woodland. The adults can be seen nectaring from bramble flowers in woodland clearings and along managed rides.
​
There has been a recent increase in the sightings of one of Britain's most spectacular dragonflies in Hastings. The black and yellow striped golden-ringed dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii breeds in acidic rivers and streams but the adults can be seen away from breeding habitat hunting in sunny woodland clearings and rides.
​
The ecological engine of a woodland though is the woodland floor. The detritivore communities that occupy fallen timber, leaf litter and woodland soil drive the cycle of nutrients and energy within woodland ecology. The detritivore communities are very rich in species and in Hastings a number of rare and scarce species have been recorded including the nationally rare money spider Diplocephalus protuberans which is found in streamside leaf litter in Ecclesbourne Glen. This is one of only two sites in south-east England where this species has been found.
​
Other scarce species occur such as the point snail Acicula fusca, a tiny snail which lives in moss and leaf litter in gill woodland. This species has a restricted oceanic distribution occurring mainly in the coastal regions of Britain, Ireland, Belgium, France and Spain. Also occurring in Hastings is the scarce and local Rolph’s door snail Macrogastra rolphii. This species also has a similar Western European distribution and occurs within moss, leaf litter and under fallen timber in damp woodland.
Fallen timber is a very important resource within ancient gill woodland especially fallen timber that falls into gill streams and small seepages producing blockages and twig jams. These are essential components of natural gill stream ecology and many species of invertebrate exploit this resource including rare species such as the southern yellow splinter crane-fly Lipsothrix nervosa. This crane-fly is listed as a species of principal importance in England under the NERC Act 2006, Section 41 due to its near endemic status in Britain.
​
Also of interest is the presence of the subtropical terrestrial landhopper Arcitalitrus dorrieni within a couple of gill woodland sites in Hastings. This species is native to eastern Australia and has been introduced into Britain. It requires humid frost-free leaf and plant litter. The gill woodlands of Hastings provide ideal habitat for this species and may turn up in other sites in Hastings.
​
The gill woodlands of Hastings also provide habitat for many breeding birds, which are featured in the next section, and mammals. The most important species is the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. The woodlands and hedgerows of Hastings provide habitat for important populations of this greatly declining species. The national population has halved over the last twenty years and every woodland site that contains populations of this species should be carefully monitored and managed for the species.
​
The woodland of Hastings also provides breeding, roosting and foraging habitat for a number of species of bat including brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus, common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii, noctule Nyctalus noctula, serotine Eptesicus serotinus, soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus, and whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus. Bats use different habitats at different times of the year. Some species have summer roosts in trees, some in buildings and species such as Daubenton’s bats have summer roosts under bridges and in tunnels near water. Woodland, woodland edge, hedgerow, parks, gardens and open ground are used for feeding, and species such as Daubenton’s bat, soprano pipistrelle and noctule will feed over water. Winter roosts occur in trees, buildings and for some species such as brown long-eared bat, Daubenton’s bat and whiskered bat winter roosts occur underground in caves, tunnels and ice-houses.
​
Although not as irreplaceable as ancient woodland, planted or naturally regenerated secondary woodland and scrub is an important habitat for biodiversity especially breeding birds. It is far superior to allow woodland to naturally regenerate rather than plant trees. Naturally regenerating woodland is an outstanding habitat for a rich assemblage of breeding, migrating and wintering birds. Planting woodland can interrupt one of the most biodiverse stages of regenerating woodland. There are of course exceptions, such as the creation of orchards or where a particular species mix of spring blossoming fruit trees is the objective.
​
One of the finest examples in Hastings is Summerfields Wood Local Nature Reserve situated on the edge of Hastings town centre. This is a gem of a site nestled in the centre of the town. A good density of woodland breeding birds occur here which is greatly bolstered by migrant birds during spring and autumn. In the winter feeding flocks of small passerines pass noisily through the wood which include blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, great tit Parus major, long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus, coal tit Periparus ater, nuthatch Sitta europaea, treecreeper Certhia familiaris, goldcrest Regulus regulus and firecrest Regulus ignicapilla. Occasionally lesser spotted woodpecker Dryobates minor can also be seen associating with this winter flock.
​
It is migrant birds for which Summerfields Wood is most well known for. The coastal location of the wood surrounded by residential areas concentrates migrants into the wood. Many species of migrant bird can be observed in and around the wood during prime weather conditions for migration which can include wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, whinchat Saxicola rubetra, spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata, pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus, black redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, firecrest and wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix amongst large numbers of chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita and goldcrest. Occasionally rare species such as yellow-browed warbler Phylloscopus inornatus, icterine warbler Hippolais icterina, scarlet rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus and red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva have been recorded. Also large numbers of swift, swallow, house martin and sand martin can congregate feeding over the wood during migration periods.
​
Spring flowering species-rich hedgerow and scrub is also an important resource for breeding birds such as yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella, linnet Linaria cannabina and whitethroat Sylvia communis. On wetland sites willow scrub is important for many breeding birds such as Cetti’s warbler Cettia cetti and sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. The scrub within Filsham Reedbed supports an average annual population of up to 20 territories of Cetti’s warbler.
​
The early spring blossom of blackthorn Prunus spinosa, gorse Ulex europaeus and willow Salix spp. is very important for many early spring pollinators such as Clarke’s mining bee Andrena clarkella, small sallow mining bee Andrena praecox, large sallow mining bee Andrena apicata, grey-backed mining bee Andrena vaga, spring plasterer bee Colletes cunicularius, small gorse mining bee Andrena ovatula, and the ashy mining bee Andrena cineraria. Later in the year hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. blossom are important sources of pollen and nectar for many pollinators including bees, wasps, hoverflies, butterflies and beetles.
​
Later in autumn the fruits produced by these scrub species provide food for migrant and wintering birds. Scrub is also a very important food resource for dormice. In spring dormice feed on the pollen and nectar of flowering scrub in hedgerows and woodland edge and in autumn feed on the fruits and nuts provided by scrub and understorey species such as hazel and bramble.
​
Regenerating scrub is a very biodiverse and ecologically dynamic habitat and any tree planting project schemes should include mainly spring flowering scrub species such as blackthorn, hawthorn, wild cherry Prunus avium, willow and field maple Acer campestre.
​
There are also a number of invertebrates associated with hedgerow habitat in Hastings most notably the white-letter hairstreak Satyrium w-album which occurs on the West Hill and along Barley Lane. In Hastings the foodplant of this elusive species is wych elm Ulmus glabra suckers growing within hedgerows and wood banks.