ASHDOWN FORESTlifeCelebrating 125 years of care for the Forest www.ashdownforest.org

ISSUE NO 11 SPRING/SUMMER 2011

SHEEP NEWS

BACK IN TIME

MESOLITHIC HOUSE

ARCHIVE FOREST MINUTES

BAT SURVEY UPDATE

DIARY DATESTHE CONSERVATORS OF ASHDOWN FOREST Ashdown Forest Centre, Wych Cross, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5JPT: 01342 823583 E: conservators@ashdownforest.org www.ashdownforest.org

Only printed on paper from sustainable forests. All paper used is FSC Certified and produced only at mills holding ISO 14001 certification.

This site is part of the European Natura 2000 Network. It has been designated because it hosts some ofEurope’s most threatened species and habitats. All 27 countries of the EU are working together through

the Network 2000 Network to safeguard Europe's rich and diverse natural heritage for the benefit of all. See www.natura.org.

Editorial: Paul Cooper, forest.marketing@btinternet.com Design and production: Studio 4, m.marriott@btconnect.comPhotography: Peter Blake, Dave Brooker, Hugh Clark, Paul Cooper, High Weald Unit

We are grateful to Natural England for supporting Ashdown Forest Life.

FORTHCOMING FRIENDS EVENTS

Sunday 24th April A Bird Walk on the Forest. 9.00 a.m. from Long car parkMembers of the Ashdown Forest Bird Group will lead us as they point out birds that can be seen and heard that morning.Sunday 22nd May Anniversary Celebration. 2.00 to 5.00 p.m. at the Forest Centre To celebrate our Golden Jubilee, we will be holding an open afternoon which will incorporate a display showing key events and achievements since the Society’s formation in 1961. All are very welcome. Tuesday 24th May A Tour in Chelwood Vachery. 6.30 p.m. Commencing from Trees car park (or park in Long car park if Trees is full. Please allow a few minutes to walk from Long to Trees) Hew Prendergast will lead us on a tour of this very special area within Ashdown Forest to view the work that has been completed and that that is still ongoing. Places are limited.Sunday 5th June A Field Walk in Pippingford Park. 2.30 p.m. from Millbrook East car parkAnother chance to see the wildlife, iron workings, pillow mounds and World War II earthworks. Some rough walking so please bring strong boots and a stick if required. Places are limited to 25 for this 3 hour walk.Tuesday 28th June A Nightjar Walk. 8.30 p.m. from Black Hill car parkThe Ashdown Forest Bird Group has again invited us to join them as they seek Nightjars on the Forest.Please note all events, other than the open afternoon on 22nd May, must be pre-booked. For further informationand to book a place on any of the above events, which are free to members (£5 for non-members or join on theday), please contact Pat Arnold on 01892 611414 or email ashdownfriends@aol.com.

DIARY DATES See www.ashdownforest.org and follow news on the Forest via Facebook and Twitter!

Friday 22nd April onwards Ashdown Seen. At the Forest Centre Living and working on and around the Ashdown Forest, the eight local artists who form theLondon Road Group present a new exhibition of their colourful and sensitive responses to thechanging scenery and moods of the Ashdown Forest landscape through the seasons.

Thursday 19 May 11am – 4pm Forest Garden. Chelwood Vachery Opening and guided tours under the National Gardens Scheme Park at Trees car park on A22.Guided walks in the Garden at 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm. Adults £3.00; children free

Saturday 21 May 12pm – 4pm Fleeces, Fun and Forest. At the Forest CentreA day of activities, in conjunction with Ashdown Coppice Week (see website for update).

Tuesday 7 June 7.30pm Annual Public Meeting. At the Forest Centre Bring your questions to the Conservators!

From Mid July onwards Hidden Talents. At the Forest CentreWealden Hidden Talents, a local charity, helps reveal the wealth of artistic talent hiddenthroughout the Wealden Sheltered Housing Schemes, many residents of which are retired or bereaved. For further details come along or contact Louise on 01825 732977 or hiddentalents2010@gmail.com

From Friday 2 September onwards Nature Stripped Bare. At the Forest CentrePamela Hurwitz natural artworks, Paul Humphrey paintings and Tom Morgan photographs.

Welcome... Cover - View towards Gills Lap from

the top of Wrens Warren Valley

For the Forest 2011 is proving to be a significant year.

Firstly, it marks half waythrough the Higher LevelStewardship scheme.

Since 2006 it has transformed the Conservators’capacity to manage 1500 hectares of heath, including through grazing (p. 3), and hasgreatly improved our understanding of theirwildlife (p. 10). In March the value of theseheaths, recognised by EU designations, wasshown in a new way for the first time when thePlanning Inspectorate halted a housing schemein Fairwarp. Central to the decision was the perceived potential impact on two heathlandbirds, the nightjar and Dartford warbler. Putsimply, more new residents means more impact. In April the Conservators submitted planningpermission for their proposals to upgrade theForest Centre. Like many others, they haverecognised that current facilities for visitors areinadequate and certainly not in keeping withthe Forest as one of the most important

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Sheep news

This summer the grazing will be undertakenwith the sheep protected by electric fencing toincrease the hours that they spend on the heath.There will be four fenced enclosures and thesewill move around the Forest. Full details of theenclosures will be posted on our website andthere will be ample signage on the spot.

The sheep are going to be extremely vulnerableto uncontrolled or lost dogs so we are asking all dog walkers to take special care. We arealso looking for volunteers to take their dailywalks around the sheep for us and help us to safeguard the animals and alert us to any problems.

At the end of January, the Forest Centre hosted atraining day, Managing dogs and their owners.The course, led by Steve Jenkinson of LosehillHall, Peak District National Park, was organised

by the Forest in partnership with CountrysideTraining Services and attended by 40 delegatesfrom across Sussex and beyond. Our main motivation in running the course was to discoverways to reduce dog attacks on livestock grazingthe Forest and also to manage other antisocialbehaviour by dogs and owners. The course focused on working positively with dog ownersto reduce problems, and looking at successfulstrategies at other, similar sites. Forest staff arenow putting together a code of conduct for dogowners and improving our signage to help owners act more responsibly.

We are always looking for more sheep wardensso, if anyone wants to get more involved, please contact the Forest Centre.

Caroline Fitzgerald Grazing OfficerRich Allum Ranger

“Is that dog under control?”

landscapes in the South East for recreation andwildlife. The plans are on the Wealden DistrictCouncil website and will be a feature in the nextedition of Ashdown Forest Life. Plans are allvery well – now starts the formidable task ofraising the required funds! The Conservatorswill certainly be busy, as their predecessors were30 yeas ago when the decision was taken tomove from an office in Forest Row to what wasthen an empty site. To keep updated, do followprogress via the online minutes of the Conservators’ meetings.

June will see the completion of two more projectsunder the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme (others are reported on p. 6-7): a new permanent exhibition aboutmany aspects of the Forest – notably its historyand wildlife – and a facility for mobile users toorientate themselves on arrival in Forest carparks. Do come and visit the Centre and in the car parks look out for bar code signs.

In the meanwhile protecting the Forest mustcontinue as ever. An often underestimated

threat to it (as a common) is neatly summarisedby this quote from a Defra document: “Commonland has always been susceptible to encroachmentfor private gain: its very nature encourages it,because the benefit gained by the individual is apowerful motivation, whereas the often minorloss is shared by the wider community. Increasingly, however, the interests of the community in preserving such land as open spacemean that encroachments can cause considerableill-felling”. Add to encroachments issues such asunlicenced parking, excessive fire-break mowingand the dumping of garden rubbish and you cansee perhaps that Forest Rangers have plenty ofwork to do in checking the hundreds of propertiessharing boundaries with the Forest!

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity ofannouncing that, after eight years of running theForest , I will be moving on to a new challenge. I hope that the future of this special place continues to enjoy your support.

Hew Prendergast Director hew@ashdowforest.org

The Forest’s flock of Hebridean sheep has been off the Forest for the winter,on grass on a number of properties. We shall not be lambing this year as wewant to get them all out on the heath, grazing, as soon as possible.

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The history of Ashdown Forest is a fascinating subject, andlast autumn an enthusiastic group of mainly local peoplemet at the Forest Centre for a ten-week course on the historical communities of the Forest, led by one of the acknowledged experts on the subject, Professor Brian Shortof the University of Sussex. Brian took the students on ajourney from the dawn of human history to the presentday, looking at the natural history of the Forest and at thedifferent communities and characters who have inhabitedand exploited it. Field-trips allowed them to see at firsthand such key historical features as the medieval Pale andNewbridge Furnace. There was much praise for the course,and many said they would now go on and explore the Forest history further on their own account. Martin Berry

One of the varied Forest walks that change with the seasons

The hidden gem at Chelwood Vachery Above: ‘Ashdown Forest Reserve’ by Charles Harrington(1865 – 1943). Looking east on Stonehill Road between Nutley and Duddleswell

Now semi-retired I am able to walk my dog and spend timecapturing the ever-changing scenes on Ashdown Forest.

The Forest covers a large area of differing terrain, from open heathland with extensive panoramic views, to woodedvalleys with a variety of trees, streams and ponds. It is served with a large number of car parks, including some with disabled access to smooth footpaths. Away from these car parks it is possible to walk for considerable distances without seeing another soul and enjoy the tranquility of this South East gem.

I recently helped to produce a series of footpath leaflets and a new visitors’ map of the Forest. The map is available for a small fee and the leaflets are free from the Ashdown Forest Centre or downloadable on www.ashdownforest.org/downloads/downloads_walks.php Dave Brooker; www.mappingideas.co.uk

A personal view of Ashdown Forest

Back in time

I moved to Crowborough just over six years agoand, as a cartographer by trade and a keenamateur photographer, I have taken a greatinterest in the landscapes of the area.

Below: The Mesolithic House at the Forest Centre Notebook of William Raper

Mesolithic house

The Mesolithic House pictured here and which was started in October last year was built as part of the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme by the East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Partnership. Operating withinEast Sussex County Council and in partnership with environmental and heritage organisations, ESAMP providestraining and educational opportunities and aims to make therich environmental, archaeological and cultural heritage of East Sussex accessible to the broader public.

Based on excavations at a site in Northern Ireland (therebeing none for Sussex) its frame is of hazel, cut on the Forestalong Cackle Street (between Nutley and Fairwarp), the roofing is of Norfolk reed, and embellishments are of heathercollected near Broadstone car park. The building shows whata house may have looked like 8,000 years ago. It is already an unusual and exciting permanent addition to the Centre that can be used by schools and other groups, or indeed by anyone simply seeking shelter!

Also under WFRLPS and thanks to funding from the Friends,the Forest website now features archive material including the minutes of the meetings of the Conservators from the very first meeting onwards. The first Clerk to the Conservators was William Raper and, in order to post theseBoard minutes online, 40 years worth of his hand-written minutes needed to be typed up and edited.

The minutes provide a fascinating and sometimes unintentionally amusing record of those early meetings. For example, on 19th August 1887, the Conservators had obviously laboured long and hard to come up with a satisfactory set of bye-laws for the Forest and had resolved to have them displayed at various vantage points.The notices were duly posted on specially commissionedboards and presumably the Conservators were well pleasedthat this tricky task had been completed. Unfortunately, in the minutes of 29th October 1887 the following damage to the notices was recorded:

The Mesolithic period began with the end of the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago andevolved with the gradual domestication of plants and animals and the formation of settled communities at various times and places. Mesolithic cultures lasted in Europe until almost 3000 BC; flints from the period have been found on the Forest.

“near Tompsett’s Bank - the board and the post painted black

near Coleman’s Hatch – slightly damaged by stones

near Gills Lap – board taken away and post sawn

near Crow & Gate – board and post removed

near Duddleswell – board smeared with cow dung

near Fairwarp - board removed from post but recovered

near Ford’s Green - board tarred all over

near Millbrook – board smeared with cow dung

near Plaw Hatch – the same - and post loose

near Wych Cross - board taken away”

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So it seems some residents of the Forest were not best pleased with the efforts of the Conservators to lay down some rules and, funnily enough, getting some people to adhere to the bye-laws still creates major problems today! Encroachment and the small but significant loss of land thatchips away at the total, vandalism, lack of control of dogs, unlawful cutting down of trees and the setting of fires, all feature in those early minutes and all still cause problems today.

Fascinating details can also be discovered about the area during the World Wars. In the early days of 1914 and 1939, you would hardly guess the seriousness of the situation with the minutes still concentrating on flintsblocking a Forest path, or the allowance for new tyres andinner tubes for the Ranger’s bicycle but, as time goes by, the minutes reflect the growing concerns and the accommodation of military demands.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things to note is the complete absence of any reference to deer. What has become a real problem today simply does not feature in these early minutes.

A key feature is the search facility which allows you to track references to a property, a family name or indeed any otherword of interest – opening new doors to the Forest’s past.

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The Friends was formed on 2nd December1961 so this is their 50th year. Over thattime they have contributed well over half amillion pounds towards the upkeep of theForest. Also in the last twenty years theyhave contributed towards the acquisition ofalmost 60 acres of land that was originallywithin the medieval Pale in order to add itback to the Forest, for example 3.2 acres atTwyford in 1991, 13.7 acres at the Isle ofThorns, 50% contribution to 69 acres atChelwood Vachery, 3.5 acres at BraberryHatch and, most recently, 5.6 acres at Chuck Hatch, now known as Friends' Field.

Equipment provided has included tractorsand trailers, mowers, a wood chipper, fire engine, forage harvester, Rangers' vehicles(12 in the last 20 years), a scrub cutter,hedge cutter and post-hole borer. In addition they financed the purchase

of a colour photocopier, maps, picnic seatsand tables, a radio system and made contributions towards such things as habitat and invertebrate surveys, new stylewalks leaflets, the ‘onlining’ of the Conservators’ minute books (p.6) and computers. The Conservators hugely appreciate the support of the Friends!

To celebrate the Golden Jubilee, the Friendswill be holding an open afternoon on Sunday 22nd May 2011 at the Forest Centre from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m which will incorporate a display showing keyevents and achievements since the Society’sformation. All are very welcome.

There were nearly 900 members at the lastcount and, if you would like to find out more,please contact 01892 611414 or email ashdownfriends@aol.com

Our new bye-law signs are easily recognisable

Friends Clump

The Friends of Ashdown Forest 50th anniversary

Bye-laws protectthe Forest

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Chailey Common updateBats and the lawAll UK bats and their roosts are protected by law. You will be committing a criminal offence if you:• Deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat

• Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats

• Damage or destroy a bat roosting place (even if bats are not occupying the roost at the time)

• Possess or advertise/sell/exchange a bat (dead or alive) or any part of a bat

• Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to a bat roost

Bats are a vital part of our native wildlife, accounting for almost a third of all mammal species in the UK, and occupy awide range of habitats. They can tell us a lot about the stateof the environment, as they are top predators of commonnocturnal insects and are sensitive to changes in land usepractices. The pressures they face, such as landscape change,agricultural intensification, development, and habitat fragmentation are also relevant to many other wildlifespecies, making them excellent indicators for the wider health of the UK's wildlife. 2011 is the United Nations' Yearof the Bat and is also the 20th Anniversary of the foundationof the Bat Conservation Trust. To mark this, each month theTrust will be celebrating a different aspect of their work. See www.bats.org.uk.

The table below, taken from the surveyors’ report, is a summary of the species and their frequency. The report also includes awealth of information about behaviour and habitat preference as well as describing the difficulties of surveying these enigmaticanimals. The full report is available from the Forest Centre or as a download from the Forest website.

Following last year's public enquiry, the Planning Inspectorate gave permission for fencing to enable extensive grazing on Chailey Common - the SouthEast's second largest Lowland Heath. The fencing workis already well underway with Lane End and Red HouseCommons being fenced this year and the other threeCommons, Memorial, Pound and Romany Ridge, following next year.

These three Commons will be fenced as one unit (i.e.the animals will be allowed to wander across the roads)with cattle grids and traffic calming measures put inplace. This is an exciting development for the Commonwhich has not been grazed extensively for about 50years. Look out for the local Commoners' animals (Hebridean sheep and Sussex cattle) grazing on the Common this spring and summer.

Chelwood Vachery updateAfter last year's success, the Conservators are againopening the Forest Garden at Chelwood Vachery under the National Gardens Scheme with guided tourson 19th May. Visitors should park at Trees car park on the A22.

Through the winter Conservation Volunteers have continued their work at the Vachery, clearing fallen and overhanging trees from ponds above the so-calledGorge (built in the 1920s from limestone boulders fromCheddar) and opening up the pathway alongside. This year will hopefully complete control of shallon

( ) that has run amok in the area and can be a major problem plant on heathlands.

SerotineBelow: Volunteers helping at Chelwood Vachery

Gaultheria

Bat survey update A key component of the Higher Level Stewardshipscheme under which the Forest’s heaths are manageduntil 2016 is the surveying of flora and fauna. Last summer it was the turn of bats.

Number of records Bat species in this survey Comments

Common pipistrelle 617 Wide range of habitats

Soprano pipistrelle 1 Wooded habitat with water; avoids open landscapes

Serotine 6 Prefers open habitat but roosts in old buildings

Noctule and Leisler’s 3 One definite Noctule but the other two records could have been either species

Myotis group 14 Six definite Natterer’s bats, one definite Whiskered or Brandt’s bat but the other seven records could be more of these three species or Daubenton’s bats. They all prefer more or less wooded habitats

Brown long-eared 7 Prefers woodland therefore not well represented in this survey

Unidentified 9

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