Shock. Horror. Gunk. Those monoculture conifer forests that are constantly being criticised are, in fact, good for the environment. And, of course, eventually for the Government, when it comes the time to sell the timber. So say two men from the Department of Zoology in Oxford, writing in the autumn issue of Tree News, organ of the Tree Council of Britain. To start with, they ask what is so wrong with monoculture? Natural habitats are often dominated by one species. Much of Siberia, Scandinavia and North America is, or was, under monoculture. For some wild organisms, they argue, single species plantations can be the right habitation and can mean plenty of food for others. Research, they say, suggests that the denser the conifers, the more wildlife there is in the canopy.
"It may surprise people that some of the highest densities of wildlife per square metre on land, and some of the highest richness of species are recorded from conifer woodland." We so often hear how an oak tree can support two or three hundred different creatures. Well, these two zoologists tell us that conifers can support several times the abundance of invertebrates than does an oak. The authors give their views on the overall afforesting policy required (including the non managing of certain elements) back to primeval forest and mention that missing species should be reintroduced when possible, "perhaps including boar, wolves and beaver". Where were their tongues when this was written? But they write, "such a view is not only idealistic, it is controversial" and they go on to ask what is the motive for conservation. Is it for aesthetics and recreation or for sensitive biodiversity? Often a site cannot have both.
Much of the criticism here of the conifers is aesthetic. They spoil the hilltops. Their shape is unpleasing. Anyway. The above is necessarily a condensation from an extract from the original article, as published by the English Field.
Another good point for conifers. It is written in the same magazine that 10,000 grand firs (abies grandis) and 7,000 Norway spruce are being planted to provide nesting sites for the tiny firecrest. This is in Wendover Woods in the Chilterns, where a Firecrest Walk has been created.