National Vegetation Classification

New native woodland types

The following tables detail the major and minor tree and shrub species suitable for creating new native woodlands, based on National Vegetation Classification (NVC) woodland types. The distribution and soils of the NVC types are shown below.

NATIVE TREES

Major and minor species for new native woodland types

● = major species throughout range
■ = major species locally or in part of range
❑ = minor species throughout range
❍ = minor species locally or in part of range

KEY TO WOODLAND TYPES

W2 Alder woodland with common reed
W4 Birch woodland with purple moor-grass
W6 Alder woodland with stinging nettle
W7 Alder-ash woodland with yellow pimpernel
W8 Lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with dog’s mercury
W9 Upland mixed broadleaved woodland with dog’s mercury
W10 Lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with bluebell
W11 Upland oak-birch woodland with bluebell
W12 Beech-ash woodland with dog’s mercury
W14 Beech-oak woodland with bramble
W15 Beech-oak woodland with wavy hair-grass
W16 Lowland oak-birch woodland with bilberry
W17 Upland oak-birch woodland with bilberry
W18 Scots pine woodland with heather
W19 Juniper woodland with wood sorrel

Native Trees: Major and minor species for new native woodland types

	W8	W9	W10	W11	W16	W17	W12	W14	W15	W18	W19	W2	W6	W7	W4
Alder		❑										●	●	●	❑
Ash	●	●	❍				●	❑				❑	❑	●
Aspen	❍	❍	❍	❍	❍
Beech							●	●	●
Birch, downy	❑	●	❍	●	■	●				❍	❑	●	❑	❑	●
Birch, silver	❑		●	❍	●	❍	❑	❑	❑	❍
Crab apple	❑		❑
Elm, wych	■	❑	■
Field maple	■						❑
Cherry, gean	❍		❍					❑
Cherry, bird		❑												❍
Holly	❑	❑	❑	❑	❑	❑	❑	●	●				❑	❑
Hornbeam	❍		❍				❑
Oak, common	●	❍	●	❍	●	❍	❑	●	●			❑	❑	❑
Oak, sessile	■	❑	■	●	■	●		❍	❍					❑
Rowan	❍	●	❑	❑	❑	❑		❑	❑	❑	❑			❑
Scots pine										●
Whitebeam	❍				❍		❑
Willow, crack												❑	●
Willow, goat	❑							❑					❑	❑	❑
Yew							❑	❑	❑

Native Shrubs: Major and minor species for new native woodland types

	W8	W9	W10	W11	W16	W17	W12	W14	W15	W18	W19	W2	W6	W7	W4
Blackthorn	❑		❑										❑	❑
Broom			❑
Buckthorn, alder					❍				❑			❑	❍
Buckthorn, purging	❍											❑	❍
Dogwood	❍						❑
Elder	❑	❑	❑		❍		❑	❑					●	❑
Gorse			❑		❑
Guelder rose	❑		❑				❑					❑	❑	❑
Hawthorn	●	❑	●	❑		❍	●	❑				❑	❑	●
Hazel	●	●	●	❑		❍	●	❑						●
Wild privet	❑						❑	❑
Spindle	❍						❑
Wayfairing tree	❍		❍				❑
Juniper				❍		❍	❑			❑	●
Willow, almond													❑
Willow, bay														❍	❑
Willow, eared												❑			❑
Sallow, grey	❑	❑										●	●	●	●
Willow, osier													❑
Willow, purple													❑

Distribution of NVC woodland types

Map 1: The lowland zone of Britain

NVC number	W8	W10	W16
NVC name	Lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with dog's mercury	Lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with bluebell	Lowland oak-birch woodland with bilberry
Soil type	Rendzinas and calcareous brown earths	Base-rich brown earths	Podzolic and ironpan soils

Map 2: The upland zone of Britain

NVC number	W9	W11	W17	W4	W7
NVC name	Upland mixed broadleaved woodland with dog's mercury	Upland oak-birch woodland with bluebell	Upland oak-birch woodland with bilberry	Birch woodland with purple moor-grass	Alder-ash woodland with yellow pimpernel
Soil type	Rendzinas and calcareous brown earths	Base-poor brown earths	Podzolic and ironpan soils	Wet peat	Wet gleys and brown earths

Map 3: The zone of semi-natural beech woodlands

NVC number	W12	W14	W15
NVC name	Beach-ash woodland with dog's mercury	Beech-oak woodland with bramble	Beech-oak woodland with wavy hair-grass
Soil type	Rendzinas	Base-poor brown earths	Podzols

Map 4: The zone of semi-natural pine woodland

NVC number	W18
NVC name	Scots pine woodland with heather
Soil type	Highly acidic podzols

Map 5: The zone of upland juniper woodland

NVC number	W19
NVC name	Juniper woodland with wild sorrel
Soil type	Neutral brown earths

Map 6: Wet woodland on fen peat

NVC number	W2
NVC name	Alder woodland with common reed

Map 7: Wet woodland on alluvium

NVC number	W6
NVC name	Alder woodland with stinging nettle