Earlier this year the Society contracted with Wild Borders Ecology to conduct a survey of its two quillets and surrounding areas with a view to assessing the impact of our interventions on biodiversity. More specifically, an area of recent felling is being compared with adjacent, very similar but untouched pieces of woodland.

What’s been done so far?

• eleven site visits between May and August 2025,
• surveys of trees, shrubs, and ground plants,
• surveys of butterflies, moths, and dragonflies along set walking routes,
• pitfall traps for ground insects like beetles, spiders, harvestmen, woodlice, centipedes, and millipedes.
• Early signs:
  • the felled glade seems to also be affecting the woodland around it, with greater  variation in shrubs and ground plants,
  • there are hints of richer insect life in the felled area (though data still needs full analysis).
• Species spotted:
  • butterflies and moths such as the orange-tip, speckled wood, meadow brown, and silver-washed fritillary,
  • dragonflies like the emperor dragonfly and beautiful demoiselle,
  • ground creatures including the violet ground beetle, devil’s coach horse, Dor Beetle, woodlice, harvestmen, and millipedes.
• Next steps:
  • organise and check all data,
  • compare findings with existing records,
  • produce a full report with recommendations,
  • create habitat maps,
  • train others to use the same survey methods for long-term monitoring.

In short: The survey is showing promising signs that woodland restoration at Brineddin Wood is boosting plant variety and insect life, but the data still needs to be fully analysed before firm conclusions are made.