LookWild: Restoring the Lake District’s Woodlands to New Heights
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Date posted: 27/05/2025
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Time to read: 3 mins
On a day of muddy boots, bracken bashing and tree tagging, the woodlands of Haverthwaite Heights are being carefully restored.
Follow Lake District National Park Authority’s Woodlands Officer, Olivia Wass, who joins forces with Working Class Heroes and Cumbria Woodlands to help boost woodland diversity and support natural regeneration.
Working Together for Woodland Recovery
In April I spent a woodland management day out with Working Class Heroes and Cumbria Woodlands at Haverthwaite Heights.
We focused on bracken bashing as part of our ongoing strategy to control bracken growth to help encourage natural regeneration and boost the diversity of woodland flora.
We also carried out an inspection of the trees planted a few years ago, identifying and marking those that hadn’t survived, so they can be replanted during the upcoming winter planting season.
Protecting Trees
The team reused the protective tubes from the failed trees to help protect any new natural regeneration coming through, with Oak and Rowan being the most common species.
For the trees that are thriving, we ensured each was standing straight and healthy, removing any competing vegetation, such as honeysuckle, that could hinder their growth and development.
It was a lovely day out in the woods, and it was great to see the woodland floor coming to life with spring flora.
The ground was covered in a beautiful mix of bluebells, wild garlic, dog’s mercury, wood sorrel, lesser celandine, yellow archangel and so many more – a real reminder of the richness and diversity we’re working to protect and nurture!
What is Bracken Bashing?
Bracken is a natural part of the Lake District landscape and can support woodland ground flora. However, in abundance it hinders the diversity of the woodland habitat, and its regeneration.
Bracken bashing involves using a tool to ‘bash’ the plant, so it folds over. This weakens the plant and the next year the growth of bracken will be reduced, allowing other flora to grow.
About Working Class Heroes
Working Class Heroes (WCH) is an independent clothing shop based in Ulverston, which is also actively involved in getting out in the local environment. James from WCH said:
Here at WCH, we don’t just sell t-shirts. We also quite like to get out in the field (or woodland) and get stuck in with some environmental work to improve conditions in our very own local area. Alongside Cumbria Woodlands, the Lake District National Park, and The Coppice Co-op, the WCH team is always keen to lend a hand because it beats staring at Excel spreadsheets or answering emails.
“We joined up with the LDNPA and Cumbria Woodlands to do some bracken bashing and tree tagging. We tackled some invasive bracken using sticks to bash the young stems—this is to slow its spread and give the recently planted saplings a better chance to grow. While out there, we also helped conduct a sapling survey, checking tree tubes and marking empty or dead ones for replanting in the winter.
“Over the past few years, the team has spent considerable time at one of our local woodlands near Haverthwaite. Owned by the Lake District National Park Authority, the Haverthwaite Heights area is an important woodland in need of restoration to become more dynamic, diverse, and resilient.”
Olivia Wass
Olivia is the Woodlands Officer at Lake District National Park Authority.
It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!
Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne.
And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits.
Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚
Photo: Channel 4
#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
You’ve likely heard of one - but what does it actually do?
Our 15 Parks wouldn’t be able to function without the authorities working behind the scenes to keep them running.
And each authority relies on people. People within the community, volunteers, staff and members. People that run businesses, or partner as organisations. People that are skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of areas from wildlife to accessibility.
Our National Parks are full of people and action, and it’s the Authorities that bring them all together.
💚
#NationalParksUK #NationalParkAuthorities
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.
Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.
There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀
#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.
Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.
But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.
Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚
So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿
#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂
Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.
Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.
What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡
#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks
“You look after the National Park not for yourself, but for people who are coming, the ones who are following you.”
These are the words of Ron Wood, who has been volunteering for the Lake District National Park for over 60 years. His story reflects the vital role volunteering plays across our National Parks: keeping them thriving, communities invested, and people connected to and caring for our landscapes.
Over the decades, Ron’s incredible journey has seen him remain steadfast in his commitment through droughts, hand, foot and mouth disease, and the ever-changing rhythms of nature. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: his dedication to looking after the environment for those who come after him.
You can read Ron`s full story by clicking the link in our bio or learn more about volunteering at nationalparks.uk/volunteering 🔗
📸Photos by @lakedistrictnpa
#LakeDistrict #Volunteering #NationalParks
A quiet autumn transformation is beginning to take place. 🍁
Bracken gradually fades to burnt oranges. Mist sweeps across the horizon. Grasses brown and trees begin their annual shaking of leaves.
Our National Parks are never still. They are constantly changing and transforming with the seasons - a living rhythm of growth, decay, colour and renewal.
These four photographs perfectly capture our Parks on the cusp of autumn 📸
1. Dartmoor @ryanbrowningphotography
2. Lake District @jonny.gios
3. New Forest @acornsandscapes
4. Northumberland @calbrownphoto
#Autumn #NationalParksUK
