Black Grouse turn the corner in England as numbers climb above 1000.

Although times have been hard for the Black grouse, conservationists hope that the species may have turned the corner after years of decline thanks to more sensitive land management. A count undertaken last spring revealed that the English population, confined to the north Pennines, had passed a significant milestone with over 1,000 males being recorded, up from 800 in 1998. The Forestry Commission is one of the partners in the North Pennines Black Grouse Recovery Project.

A former accountant who swapped his office for life as a Pennine hill farmer is doing his bit to help in the recovery of the region’s Black grouse population. Andrew Norman, who owns 65-acre Thimbleby Hill farm near Stanhope, County Durham, has won a Forestry Commission grant to create a winter refuge and feeding area for the endangered bird.

Working with forest chiefs, he’s planted a four-acre woodland designed from scratch with Black grouse in mind, including ‘built-in’ open spaces, long grass and widely planted native trees such as birch, rowan and hawthorne.

Andrew Norman said: ‘Creating this wood is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while. There’s a Black grouse lek – or a courtship area where males woo females in the spring – fairly close-by, but the bird needs to find cover during the winter to escape the harsh weather. That’s what this woodland has been designed for so hopefully as the trees mature it will find itself on the local flight path.’

The planting – which includes a further nine acres to improve the landscape - has been backed by £21,300 from the Forestry Commission which includes annual payments for agricultural income foregone.

Forestry Commission Keen to Support Woodland Creation
The Forestry Commission is keen to support other people who want to create new woodland or improve the management of an existing one. Under new rules, applications to the English Woodland Grant Scheme score heavily if they can demonstrate benefits for wildlife, recreation or conservation.

Brendan Callaghan, Forestry Commission Regional Director, said: ‘Andrew has shown real drive in getting the planting scheme off the ground and wildlife will be the long-term beneficiary. But there’s personal satisfaction in making a positive impact on the environment. We want to encourage other people to seek our support so they too can make their own contribution.’

To find out more about the grants available contact call 01388 488721.