The aim of the Trust is to support activities that will help long term conservation of the New Forest. Policy
Conservation of the New Forest needs the human activities that created it to remain economically sustainable.
The Trustees have a view that in the long term sustainability is achieved most reliably when activities remain economically viable.
The New Forest is a rare example in Europe of ecosystems maintained by grazing by cattle, ponies, deer, and pigs. Cattle and pigs are recognised in the UK as being subject to Agricultural rules, regulations and support. Ponies are not. For this reason the Trust has provided funds toward helping to make raising and selling ponies financially worthwhile. Also by helping to make the woodlands economically sound the livelihoods of those who look after livestock needed on the Forest can be supported.
The Beaulieu Road Sale Yard plays a key role in selling ponies. Because they are not fully domesticated a special wooden structure is needed. The New Forest Trust is responsible for the lease of the ground and makes contributions to the New Forest Livestock Society which manages sale events. More infrastructure is needed to comply with the latest regulations. To this end projects to provide essential washdown facilities and to roof the sale ring are being developed with the Society and the National Park Authority.
The Sale Yard is located next to the railway at Beaulieu Road Station because one of the biggest markets for New Forest ponies, “Foresters” used to be the coal industry’s mines. Railways went to all the mines in the country and this was an obvious place to collect them together on the Forest. The old mines had very large underground stables and the “Foresters” saw the sky rarely after being sent below. One of the last in the mines was kept at the Beamish Museum facility in County Durham after his mine closed. This was reported by the Veterinary Surgeon who attended him there and in the mine before that.
The Stallion Scheme was developed to reduce the number of foals born on the Forest at a time of year when the mothers would find it hard to thrive on the Open Forest. This is achieved by limiting the number of stallions and only letting them out during some of the summer months. The New Forest Trust New Forest Trust contributes to the Funds needed to help pay for grazing for the stallions when they are not out on the Forest.
The New Forest Verderers manage the Scheme and they have the powers to select the stallions that can be out on the Open Forest. Although the Stallion Scheme helps to ensure the best quality of foals are raised on the Forest more importance is given to the fact that the welfare of the ponies is much improved, especially in winter.
Publicity for Ponies is important. A voluntary group has taken on the task of doing this for New Forest ponies, the “Foresters”. They provide information on the internet which encourages private sales and they spend time at selected Shows to promote the breed. The New Forest Trust New Forest Trust is pleased to contribute toward meeting the inevitable costs incurred by the New Forest Pony Publicity Group.
A “Forester” can make a delightful second stage riding pony for children because they will be no taller than 15 hands. Also a “Forester” can have all the characteristics needed to survive on open heaths through the winter, feeding on gorse and holly. This makes it an ideal pony to introduce on to heaths elsewhere in the country where conservation is important.
Fine Crafted Wood is something valuable for many generations. It is also a way to increase the work for woodsmen in the New Forest and many of these people are Commoners raising the ponies. The New Forest Trust New Forest Trust decided to develop a competition for people in training to become designer/craftsmen. Timber donated from the New Forest is made available to the trainees and the furniture made from it is judged each year at the New Forest Show in a special Exhibition.
The objective is to encourage a real link between people and the trees of Forest. By holding the Exhibition it hoped to raise awareness that a unique piece of furniture from a particular tree grown in the Forest has special value. By holding the Trainee Competition it is hoped to generate recognition of the fact that making furniture from New Forest trees can add a special value. By encouraging the market and work of designer/craftsmen it is hoped to bring economic value to the work of the woodsmen and their care of New Forest woodlands.
Policy
Conservation of the New Forest means giving help to those who want to learn more about its wildlife.
The New Forest is like a diamond cut to have many faces with each face being some special aspect of importance to people. Different groups of people reflect on the many wildlife forms in the Forest such as the fungi or the beetles or the birds. The Trust is open to bids for support from any of these groups. Bats on the move are not the easiest thing to follow or identify. The Hampshire Bat Group wanted to do both by using radio transmitters attached to the bats. By catching bats in mist nets they were able to identify the species and subsequently their flight paths could be followed about the Forest. One of the transmitter/receiver sets was purchased using funds from the New Forest Trust New Forest Trust for use in the Forest. The equipment should enable the Group to study bats here for a number of years.
Two rare bat species are being studied, they are the Bechstein’s and barbastelle bats. Several sites have been found where they feed and where they roost. Some individuals are being ringed so that they might be traced across the range of Forest they cover. It is known that they can travel many miles in a single night. Members of the Bat Group are licensed to handle bats in wild and this especially necessary because bats can be carriers of rabies.
Bat Boxes can be a great help in studying this illusive animal. New Forest Keepers who help the Hampshire Bat Group with their project also place bat boxes in strategic parts of the Forest. This exercise was restricted by lack of funds until the New Forest Trust New Forest Trust was able to help. Using funds collected in memory of a colleague at Southampton University more than 20 new bat boxes were purchased.
When Nicole Murray died her friends decided to recognise her affection for the New Forest by donating the money collected to honour her memory to do something good for the Forest. From the many options available they decided the bat boxes was something unusual and special.
Policy
Conservation of the New Forest means giving help to those who want to know more about how it came to be.
It is typically British to have a place with centuries of history called the ‘New’ Forest. The Trustees recognise that in conserving the Forest it is important to know its history. Increasing our understanding of the Forest is an aim.
Boiling Sites are known to be common in the New Forest area but it is difficult to find out how old they are. When a new one was located in Duckhole bog the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society needed money to send charcoal samples to Waikato in New Zealand and Durham University in England to confirm its identity and date the site. The New Forest Trust donated the money needed and a new boiling site was confirmed as being in operation around 1,700 years ago.
At the boiling sites a lot of water in a trough was heated by throwing heated stones into it. Having heated the water in this way no-one knows for certain what the Bronze age people used it for. We might speculate what industrial process they had developed or was it simply to clean themselves but what we do know is they used the ancestors of the alder trees found on the Forest today.
New tools for old places was the request received from the Hampshire Field Club. This Club carries out some valuable archaeological work in the New Forest almost every summer. It has limited resources and the New Forest Trust was pleased to donate some money for this purpose and to ensure the Club could continue delving into the Forest’s past.
Whenever some change to the land is considered anywhere in Britain someone is required to consider what might be hidden under the surface. When the land is open and relatively untouched there are two conflicting approaches. One is that there are few obstacles to making the change and the other is that the archaeology is likely to be undamaged. Both represent opportunities but not one at the expense of the other.
The New Forest Museum’s library already has a remarkable collection of material that is available to those interested in the written history of the New Forest. The New Forest Trust has made donations to the Museum including one to provide a fund for immediate purchase of books and papers.
This fund was needed because experience showed that too often the Museum was unable to buy an important document because it took too long to raise the money needed. Having a fund with immediately available finance took away the risk that such documents would be lost to their collection.
Policy
Conserving the New Forest means we need to increase public understanding of the place.
There are new people moving into the area or visiting it and there is a new generation coming along all the time. At first sight it is simply one of the few areas people can freely visit. But when you closer there are all sorts of interlinked things going on to maintain it. You might come across a drift, gorse burning, tree felling or planting, gates being repaired, a Keeper an Agister, a Ranger, a Commoner, a Forester. The Trustees are keen to see people not closely involved have a chance to understand the Forest better.
Animal Accidents happen on New Forest roads with miserable regularity every year. The Commoners Defence Association is particularly concerned about the injuries and deaths of livestock. The British Deer Society members have the same concerns for the loss of deer on New Forest roads. The New Forest Trust paid for a report on Animal Accidents and as a result and at the request of the Commoners Defence Association paid for and distributed leaflets through various local organizations. The first 15,000 was gone in 18 months. In collaboration with the local Branch of the British Deer Society the leaflet was edited to include references to the deer killed on Forest roads and a further 15,000 leaflets distributed.
A Sensory Garden was considered to be a useful tool by the Managers of the Countryside Education Trust at Beaulieu when they were refurbishing part of their facilities. The funds required were donated by the New Forest Trust.
The Trustees take the view that more can be done to educate young people about the countryside and the New Forest in particular. They have held discussions with the various organisations in the area which are outside the State education system.
New Forest Community Media is a way for local people to take control of and provide news and information in the area. Mostly they are based in towns. An energetic team is setting one up for the New Forest. At an earlier stage they needed to purchase recording equipment and the New Forest Trust donated funds for this purpose because this was away to reach people who live in the Forest communities who are not involved with the management of it.
It is always surprising, to those heavily engaged in the issues that affect the countryside of the New Forest, how little people living in the local towns and villages know about the way it works. This is probably a consequence of people commuting and of retiring people moving into the area. Local broadcasting is one way to overcome the gap by reaching into homes via the airwaves.
Policy
Conservation of the New Forest means helping those who try to protect it from avoidable damage.
There will always be some people who do not care about or understand the negative effects of what they are doing to the Forest. Conversely there will always be people who want to do small things to prevent or rectify damage. The bigger issues will be the responsibility of Statutory Bodies through regulations and bye-laws but costs can be prohibitive. The Trustees are keen to support local groups who need financial assistance for tackling recognised and defined protection works. ‘Leave only footprints’ has long been good advice for visitors to the countryside and the New Forest especially. The Verderers wish to establish a baseline condition for the campsites on the Forest in order to monitor future changes and so avoid negative effects to the vegetation there. The project will be supported by the New Forest Trust and could well become a pilot for many other surveys.
It is often said that looking after the countryside of the New Forest is paid for through general taxation that pays for the various Government agencies. These might include The National Park Authority, Natural England, The Forestry Commission, The Environment Agency, Local Authorities, DEFRA, etc. The problem is that the demands on these agencies are being increased by pressure from various interest groups while in real terms the finances allocated are being reduced. There will always be a need to do more and there will always be groups who want to help do it. The New Forest Trust sees its role as finding resources to help such groups.
Our vision is that the New Forest Trust should become a focus for private and public support – locally and for the millions of people who visit the area every year. We aim to raise significant sums of money to fund projects designed to secure the future of the New Forest for those who love it and live in it. Our efforts will complement and build on those many established organisations already working toward this goal.
But to do all this we need your help. Without you, a community, lifestyle and unique landscape are in danger of disappearing forever. The New Forest is a very special place. We are determined to keep it that way. Please help us.
The Trustees Patron Lord Lieutenant Mrs. Mary Fagan JP
Chairman Richard Manley; Vice Chairman Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre;
Secretary and Trustee William Ziegler
Trustees , Sam Dovey; Maldwin Drummond OBE; Toni Shaw; Helen Starkie;
Donald Thompson OBE,
There is a need for an independent source of funds to help maintain the New Forest. The New Forest Trust has been formed to be just this. Many challenges are before us now and many more will emerge in the future.
