During summer and early autumn 2020 Lewis Saunders Ecology undertook a series of detailed habitat surveys of lowland English woodlands. The work was undertaken as part a long term study examining ecological changes in 103 native woodland sites throughout the country, with previous rounds dating back to 1971 and 2002. Since it beginning The survey has already identified important changes in the species composition, structure, and soils of woodlands, related to; climate, nutrients in the environment, and storm events.
For the first time in 2021 data collection was digital using purpose designed forms on the mobile application Survey 123 (ESRI) which could be installed on a device; phone or tablet, and then used in the field, eliminating the need for manual handling of data. Each survey included collecting detailed data on the species composition and structure of the woodland vegetation from 16 plots per woodland, each with an area of 200m². For the purposes of collecting data suitable for the necessary analyses each plot was divided into 5 radiating nests of increasing size (for recording ground flora) and into quarters ( for recording the tree and shrub component of the vegetation).
Lewis surveyed a total of 8 sites in 2020, each taking 1 week to complete due to the level of information being collected. The output produced was a major contribution towards getting the program back on schedule after suffering delays due to restrictions imposed by funding and then the pandemic. The efficiency of execution and the reliability of the data was praised by the client and Lewis will be surveying a further 10 woodlands in 2021!