Large herbivores are a part of most natural woodland systems, but in Britain many of the species present in the wildwood some 7,000 years ago have been lost, while native woodland cover has been reduced to 2-3 per cent of the land surface area. The fragments of semi-natural woodland that remain (largely less than 10 ha in extent) include, however, many areas where grazing by deer and domestic stock (sheep, cattle, ponies) has taken place for hundreds of years. Increases in the numbers of stock using these woods and an explosion in deer populations have focused the attention of foresters, and those concerned with nature conservation, on ways of ensuring regeneration in these woods, usually by excluding all grazing animals. Such exclusion produces dramatic changes in the structure and composition of the woods, which may lead to reductions in the diversity and/or abundance of important plant and animal communities. Therefore on many sites it is desirable to retain some grazing or browsing within the wood for nature conservation reasons. Research into the effects of different grazing regimes and a re-view of experience on nature reserves is used to develop recommendations to assist woodland managers in deciding what levels (if any) of grazing may be desirable to retain particular plant and animal communities. Putting the recommendations into practice is difficult. New fencing is required at most sites, which is expensive. However changes in the grants available for farmers, combined with policy shifts that give more emphasis to the amenity rather than productive use of semi-natural woods, may help to resolve some of these problems. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
