Returning to Nature: Natural Forest Regeneration at Wild Ennerdale

Rachel Oakley is the partnerships manager for Wild Ennerdale, a place on the North West edge of the lake district where wilding is as much an ethos as it is a land management technique. Historically the lake district had very few forests but Wild Ennerdales fell side is dominated by a plantation originating with the forestry commission in 1920. A combination of natural forest regeneration and tree planting has allowed the area to diversify into broadleaf woodland. This new biodiversity creates resilience against disease, by preventing all of the trees from being wiped out at once, severe flooding and the consequences of the climate crisis. The area is also home to a herd of Galloway Cattle, who disturb the ground in a much different way to sheep, the typical agricultural grazers. Who's heavier hooves break up the earth and help to facilitate woodland regeneration. Blurring the boundaries between grazed landscapes and forested areas within Wild Ennerdale.