Cattle return to graze and help restore secret forest after 100 years

Cattle return to graze and help restore secret forest after 100 years - New Forest National Park

3 people leaning on a gate with cattle behind them — Pictured left to right – Richard Snelling (RSPB), Sarah and Andrew Parry-Norton (New Forest Commoners)

A fantastic new woodland restoration scheme has launched at RSPB’s 1,200-acre nature reserve – Franchises Lodge – located in the north of the New Forest.

The scheme has seen cattle brought in to graze the reserve’s woodlands, building a mutually- beneficial relationship between commoners, the land and the animals grazing there.

Practically untouched for over a century, the woodlands at Franchises Lodge had previously been described as a ‘secret forest’ when purchased back in 2018 with contributions of £200,000 from the National Park Authority and £50,000 from the Friends of the New Forest.

The area had not seen natural grazing from livestock in that time, until RSPB Site Manager Richard Snelling and New Forest commoners Andrew and Sarah Parry-Norton set out to change this.

The Parry-Norton’s Ruby Devon Cows now have the privilege to be the forerunners of the reintroduction of natural grazing into the woodlands, getting first pick of the reserve’s unmanaged growth.

The presence of the cattle in turn helps maintain a healthy woodland, keeping invasive species at bay, eliminating competition for growth on the forest floor and allowing some of the Forest’s rarest and most valuable flora to flourish.

‘The grazing habits of the cows will play a vital part in the RSPB’s hope to restore the woodlands back to mostly broadleaf trees, helping spread the seeds and keeping back the growth of invasive plants such as rhododendron and conifers which aren’t as good for wildlife.’ Said Richard.

Commoners need back up grazing to support their animals when they are not on the open forest Franchises provides a welcome addition to this back up land, and the Devons will now have a fresh area to munch away competition-free.

It’s not just the land that benefits from this free-roaming grazing. The more natural diet leads to healthier cows, in turn producing higher quality beef, said Andrew, who is a member of the New Forest Marque local produce scheme.