New edition of book which is a course text in woodland conservation and management. The text has been updated throughout and has a major new chapter dealing with developments in conservation and management policies over the last ten years in a European context, including developments in vegetation classification systems and outcomes of management policies.

An appreciation of the natural processes of woodlands is essential for the development of a rationale and practices for woodland nature conservation and management. In this book, Dr. Peterken describes how woodlands grow, die, and regenerate in the absence of human influence, and the structures and range of habitats found in natural woods. He describes examples of virgin and old-growth forests in Europe and North America, and outlines the dynamics and structure of natural temperate woodlands. This knowledge is then applied to nature conservation issues in British woods and forests,...

Lady Park Wood was set aside as a -natural- reserve for ecological research in 1944 and the trees, shrubs and ground vegetation have been recorded in detail ever since. The 70 years of observations now represent one of the largest and most detailed records in Europe of how a woodland develops under the influence of natural factors.

Lady Park Wood was set aside as a -natural- reserve for ecological research in 1944 and the trees, shrubs and ground vegetation have been recorded in detail ever since. The 70 years of observations now represent one of the largest and most detailed records in Europe of how a woodland develops under the influence of natural factors.