Quick links to Raveningham Estate Flora and Fauna and Raveningham Estate Woodland
Raveningham Estate Conservation
The Raveningham Estate’s conservation policy promotes and enhances biodiversity within the local landscape, creating new habitats and improving existing ones. The woodland and flora and fauna pages provide further information on Raveningham Estate conservation policies.
Breeding wader habitat created in 2000 south of Reedham.
Raveningham Estate Flora and Fauna
Raveningham Estate prides itself on its commitment to the environment that surrounds its farming and forestry businesses; with a range of habitats from wet grassland, for breeding waders and migratory wildfowl, through to the creation of an arable mosaic to encourage a greater diversity. BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) species take priority. These are plants and animals that have seen a huge decline in the past 3-4 decades, such as lapwing, barn owl, brown hare, bullfinch, grey partridge and turtle dove. A natural history survey is carried out annually to identify rare arable plants such as the cornflower (once common within the local landscape). Also the monitoring of local populations of moths and butterflies takes place in the summer months to identify measures we can put in place to cease their decline.
With over 400 acres of woodland including semi ancient mature stands of oak ash and hazel, purpose managed sycamore plantations, arable shelter belts and alder carrs, the Estate’s woodland is well distributed and diverse. A long term view is taken on mature hardwoods and selective thinning is carried out where necessary. Removal of soft woods from ancient woodland goes towards the fuelling of 4 biomass boilers and hardwood thinnings produce in excess of 200 tons of fire wood each year. Annual coppicing of hazel on a 15 year rotation greatly enhances biodiversity whilst producing healthy coppice stools. A network of woodland rides and glades form a focal point for rare orchids and fragile populations of woodland butterflies like the white admiral and pearl bordered fritillary.