Stocken Orchard tree & sward restoration & management for biodiversity

This Project will enable the continued management of this special orchard for the benefit of wildlife. The running of our harvester and some tractor and Land Rover costs (diesel and general maintenance) is essential for the management of the orchard and will allow us to continue the management of the orchards’ grassland specifically for pollinators and other beneficial insects. All machines are stored in a secure locked barn.
Thanks to our successful Project 102, our orchard trees have been pruned where appropriate and some new trees have been planted. Scrub has been cleared from around trees but left as wildlife habitat where possible. Many flowering plants are now spreading through our orchards including several orchid species alongside more common vetches, clovers and buttercups which provide food for insects. Removal of the fallen fruit (especially apples) is an important part of the management. This helps to reduce excessive nutrient input from the fallen fruit which would result in coarse grasses and nettles outcompeting the flower-rich grassland. So we will continue to harvest part of the apple crop at Stocken to significantly reduce the nutrient input, leaving at least a quarter of the orchard unpicked each year as food for wintering birds. This has the bonus of providing a small amount of income towards the ongoing management of the orchards. Conservation grazing by sheep at appropriate times will reduce the scrub and coarse grasses. Staff-time is included to manage volunteers including pruning the fruit trees and to carry out the harvest.
This Project will maintain our other LCF-funded orchards located in the Vale of Evesham and surrounding area in line with the management of Stocken for the benefit of wildlife. Managing the orchard sward will increase the areas of wildlife-rich grasslands in the Vale. We will continue planting and caring for new fruit trees. These orchards will all be managed to conserve and enhance the wildlife habitat value for species including the Noble Chafer a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species which has now been found at most of our orchards thanks to previous LCF funded projects.

A few of the species protected or conserved by this Project:
Insects: Noble Chafer and many other saproxylic species, Grizzled Skipper, Brown-banded Carder Bumblebee and other pollinators.
Birds: Linnet, Whitethroat, Starling, Song Thrush.
Reptiles: Slow-worm, Grass Snake.
Plants: Orchids (Greater Butterfly, Pyramidal, Common Spotted, Twayblade).