The New Forest A Year in the Wild


The New Forest

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An hour's drive south-west of London,

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is a forest as old as England.

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Step into it, and you enter another world.

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A last glimpse of an ancient wild wood

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that once stretched the length and breadth of Europe.

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This forest is like no other.

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Here, pigs and ponies roam free.

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Secret pockets of heathland shelter

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some of the rarest creatures in Britain.

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And people live a unique forest life

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that has survived since mediaeval times.

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Through the eyes of those who live here,

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this is our smallest and most intriguing national park.

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# As the summer fades

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# To a watery light

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# And autumn's hues

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# Are coming to life

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# Can we start something new

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# Just me and you

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# Through low light and trees

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# A future unseen

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# Is a future I can believe... #

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All through the winter, the forest has slept

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but now the sap is rising in the trees once more.

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A promise of spring.

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Well, you can't really explain it

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it's just a feeling you get after working in the woods for most of your life.

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It's just as if everything is sort of waiting to actually burst into life.

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BIRDS SING

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Dave Dibden is a coppicer.

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Coppicing is an ancient way of harvesting wood from trees

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by repeatedly cutting them back down to their stump.

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Dave has spent the winter coppicing a patch of neglected hazel woodland.

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Now, in early April, he's looking for signs that the cut hazel

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is starting to grow again.

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When you cut in the winter and you think,

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"Nothing's gonna come back here," you know,

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it's just that stub you've cut off and you think, "Well, will it grow?"

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And then you start coming back in the spring time,

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you start seeing those little buds coming on.

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You start seeing the new shoots come up,

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the first little leaf forming on these new little hazel shoots.

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It's marvellous when you start seeing that and you think,

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"Yeah, everything's working."

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And it's amazing how it do work. Nature is absolutely wonderful.

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The budding of the hazel in Dave's small corner of the New Forest

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signals the return of spring.

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As he works the coppice through the coming seasons

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he'll play a vital role

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in uncovering the forest's rarest wildlife gems.

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As spring spreads through the forest,

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the canopy renews itself once more.

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Beech, ash, oak.

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These are the trees of the ancient wildwood

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the green heart of England.

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For a thousand years, the New Forest was a source of wood for warships

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and venison for kings.

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Today, it is a vital sanctuary for wildlife.

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But not all the animals here are completely wild.

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Wherever you go in the New Forest, there are ponies.

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Ponies are so iconic of this place,

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they have practically come to define it.

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But though they roam freely here,

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they are all owned.

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Beautiful evening.

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What a lovely view tonight. Right the way to the Isle of Wight.

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Robert and Lyndsey Stride are New Forest commoners.

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Our family goes back quite a long way in the forest.

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It goes back hundreds of years.

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-Look at the foal play.

-Playing now.

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Commoners are farmers,

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who, since medieval times, have had the right

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to graze their animals communally on the forest.

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Here he comes.

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Robert and Lyndsey are taking an evening walk

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to check up on the spring's new foals.

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It's playtime before bed time.

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I wonder how many foals we'll have this year?

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Oh, I dunno.

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'It's amazing how many people who think that the ponies are wild

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'and when you tell them that they are owned, they can't believe it.

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'The ponies are sort of an integral part of our life.'

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Yeah, nice bay filly with two white feet behind.

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'Most people see the forest as a wild place

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'but we see it as a working forest that is an extension to our farm.'

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I bet her mother's got a foal somewhere. She's away from her.

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She'll have to be caught up and branded.

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Commoning here has never been an easy life.

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The New Forest grows on poor soils,

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so is no good for agriculture.

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It's one of the reasons it still survives today.

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But over the centuries, commoners have found ways to work with the forest...

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..and those traditions have been passed down

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from one generation to another.

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Come on, I'll pull you up.

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Robert and Lyndsey are expecting twins shortly.

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-It's like climbing Mount Everest.

-It is when you're pregnant!

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It's their hope that their children will want to carry on

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with this unique way of life.

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But times are tough.

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The year ahead promises to be a challenging one.

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Today, we think of forests as places entirely made up of trees,

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but the New Forest has never been like that.

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Between the swathes of ancient woodland

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are wide open spaces, heathland,

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bogs and grass lawns.

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"Forest" doesn't actually mean "woodland"

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but comes from the old Norman word

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for a place reserved for the King to hunt deer.

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Nearly a thousand years ago,

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William the Conqueror needed a regular supply of venison

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to feed his court at nearby Winchester.

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This wild land was perfect for hunting

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and had deer in abundance.

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So, in 1097, William made it his very first Royal hunting ground

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or "new forest".

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Ever since those early days,

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there have been keepers charged with protecting the Royal deer

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and the trees that sheltered and fed them.

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Martin Noble is retired now

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but while he was head keeper, he came to understand

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as well as anyone the quiet, but age-old battle

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between grazing animals and trees.

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Well, this is a tiny little oak tree,

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originally an acorn of course, came from a nearby oak tree

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and managed to survive through the winter

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and in the spring was able to set down a root

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and now it's produced a shoot with three tiny little leaves on.

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Sadly, the prospects for this little tree are slim.

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I mean, it's a beautiful little tree

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and it's a great shame to think it's going to get eaten, but at this stage

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if the top is nipped out - and it probably will be -

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certainly by the winter, if not before, and it'll die.

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The good news is that an oak tree will produce many thousands of acorns

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and it only needs to have one of those acorns surviving

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to produce a mature tree

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in 200 years to replace the tree it came from.

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Animals have always grazed the forest,

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but because ancient woodland has become so rare in Britain,

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Martin has had to learn over his working life

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how to give trees a helping hand.

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In the past, people were allowed to collect fallen wood for the fire.

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We now realise dead wood provides a vital home for wildlife,

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so today, keepers ensure it's left alone.

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And there's an added benefit.

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Where a dead branch falls,

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it can cradle a seedling, too.

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This little oak tree's had the fortune to fall as an acorn

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into this patch of bramble.

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The bramble itself was formed

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because of a tree, or branch of a tree, which had fallen earlier

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and allowed it to get a foothold.

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And the bramble now is acting like a barbed wire fence, effectively,

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around the developing oak tree, and providing it with protection

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from grazing animals, such as deer, ponies, cattle, etc.

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Hopefully, with luck, it'll survive to a good old age.

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It's said that an English oak takes 300 years to grow,

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300 to live and 300 to die.

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That is a life worth nurturing.

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Although first set aside as a hunting ground,

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it was the New Forest's trees that became its most valued resource.

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As demand for timber grew,

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areas of woodland were fenced

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to protect them from grazing animals.

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Some of these enclosures grew the oak for Nelson's warships.

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Others protected coppices.

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Hazel was once a hugely important raw material

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for anything from broomstick handles

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to the wooden hurdles that fenced the nation's livestock.

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Today, the value of coppicing is being rediscovered,

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and the Forestry Commission, who manage much of the New Forest,

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are calling on the skills of people like Dave Dibden.

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I manage it for them on a rotation basis,

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so you've got ten acres. You do an acre one year,

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the next you move on to another acre until you've got to your tenth year.

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That's your ten acres done and you're back to your first one,

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so you've got a continual diversity of growth of hazel.

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The benefits aren't just in a renewable source of wood.

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Where Dave has cut back the overgrown coppice,

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there's been a revelation.

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By clearing out all the old hazel,

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where it had been in the years before,

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just over-stood, dark and cold,

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it's just as if you've flicked a switch.

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I've allowed the sunlight to actually come in,

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and re-germinate the seeds that are in the ground.

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They could have been laid dormant there for 50 years or more.

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Violets, stitchwort, spurge -

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plants like these were once the only way of banishing smells,

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flavouring stews or treating ailments.

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It's also good to see now the hazel I cut in previous years

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is all come into leaf. It will produce a lot of habitat,

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a lot of cover underneath now for a variety of birds

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and the species that'll come back there, insects as well.

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You get the insects back

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and you get all the small birds back after the little insects.

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Trees, left to their own devices, can crowd out everything else.

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But with his skilful management,

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Dave's 10-acre patch has become a miniature wonderland for wildlife.

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The New Forest's diverse treasures also lie beyond the trees.

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Throughout the forest are unusual pockets of land,

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where the soil is so sandy and acidic,

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trees find it hard to grow.

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Over his life as Keeper,

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Martin Noble has become fascinated by these lowland heaths -

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so unique, they're of global importance.

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Now in his retirement,

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he continues his watch over some of the rarest animals in Britain.

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One of the things I've been doing for years

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is monitoring certain areas of the forest

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for the reptiles that live there.

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As the sun warms the heath in spring,

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male sand lizards begin chasing after females.

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In the late 1980s, Martin pioneered a programme of captive breeding,

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and successfully brought the lizards back from the brink of extinction.

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Sand lizards are so rare because this habitat is rare.

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The New Forest has more than a quarter

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of Britain's remaining lowland heaths,

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and so is crucially important for heathland creatures.

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Martin's careful stewardship extends

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to those that might not have so many friends.

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One of my favourite reptiles is the adder.

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There are certain places where, in the spring,

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if you walk very carefully, you can seem them out in the open,

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soaking up the warm sunshine.

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Adders are our only venomous snake, but they're not aggressive.

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If you leave them alone,

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they'll just slip quietly away into the undergrowth.

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These heathlands are also home to some of Britain's rarest birds.

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Like the tiny Dartford Warbler.

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It survives through the cold months seeking out insect larvae

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hidden in the gorse buds.

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But it's vulnerable to harsh winters,

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so exists on a knife edge,

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hugging the warm south coast of England,

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but at the northern limit of its range.

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For the Dartford Warbler, Spring never comes soon enough.

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Hobbies are migrants, arriving all the way from West Africa.

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They rely on the heathland for feeding and breeding.

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I just love hobbies. They're just such beautiful little birds,

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little falcons, similar to but smaller than the peregrine,

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and hunting smaller prey, so they hunt small birds,

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even dragonflies and things like that

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they'll catch on the wing, wonderful flyers.

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The heathland is as much a part of the New Forest as the woodland,

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and it all needs looking after.

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It's a responsibility that everyone who lives in the forest

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takes seriously today.

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Get you out in the forest,

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take you back to see your offspring.

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See, this horse is 13 to 14 years old.

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He's been all over the forest now, hasn't he?

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It's early May,

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and Robert Stride and his father Richard are taking their stallion,

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Rushmore Playwright, out onto the forest to run with the mares.

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Rushmore's been kept on Richard's farm all winter,

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where he's been living an easy life,

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but that's all about to change.

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Hopefully, the horse might lose a bit of weight.

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After a short journey to where the mares are grazing,

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it's time for Rushmore to be released.

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Come on, boy.

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HE NEIGHS

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Look at the mares coming. Look!

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It's been a while since the call of a stallion has been heard

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on this bit of the forest.

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HE NEIGHS

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Mares coming from miles around!

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HE LAUGHS

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There's two nice grey mares -

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proper forest ponies. Let him go.

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There was a time when Rushmore spent all year with the mares.

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But recently, commoners have decided

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to reduce the number of foals born on the forest.

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Stallions like Rushmore now have just a few weeks of freedom.

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He didn't get them in foal last year, did he?

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I think he possibly will lose some weight.

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THEY LAUGH

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I think you possibly would if you had so many women as what he's got on the go.

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THEY LAUGH

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Very lucky chap.

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Though he has just a short time on the forest,

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the Strides are hoping he'll sire around 25 foals,

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which will be born next spring.

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Commoners are all too aware that too many ponies leads to overgrazing.

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But no ponies would be the end of their traditional way of life.

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-Look at that.

-Sad day if you don't see a stallion

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rounding up the mares in the forest.

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The key for Richard and Robert is in balancing the old ways

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with what's ultimately best for the forest.

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He's been dreaming of that for 11 months, and now...

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BOTH: ..his dreams have come true.

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BIRDS CHIRP

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Summer is always the busiest time in the forest.

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Millions of visitors flood into

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one of the most accessible bits of wilderness in Britain,

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but it's only 20 miles by 20 miles.

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At times like this, the forest can feel very small.

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But venture just a little way from the beaten track

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and you find another world.

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Once you walk off the road, walk off the path,

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you could be in the middle of a forest 100 miles by 100 miles.

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You soon lose the sound of the road,

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the feeling of modern order.

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Taprisha is a story teller.

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She grew up here and knows the place intimately.

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The source of her inspiration

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is walking in the forest.

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One of the mysteries about

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being in your own favourite part of the forest -

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and many of us who live here have

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just one little part of the forest that we call our own, really -

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is that, even though I've been here ever since I was eight, in and out,

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I never really know it off by heart.

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I never quite know where I'm going next.

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I know the stream will be there,

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and I know the trees and the time of year it is,

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but there's always something that surprises me.

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People often think nowadays in nature of it being very healthy

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to be out and about

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and very healthy to be moving through it,

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using their eyes in a sort of a panorama.

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And actually, the forest isn't such a panoramic landscape.

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It's just...

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a curlicue of tiny, different, little experiences.

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It's a place of discovery.

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If you have an eye for the artistic,

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there are amazing shapes in this forest.

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Amazing things.

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The fear of getting lost in the forest

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is surprisingly real in all of us.

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Maybe it explains why many people

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don't venture very far from their cars.

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But the deeper you go, the more you discover.

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The forest is full of so many places, they're really places.

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It's not one forest that's all the same all the way through.

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And the mood created by different kinds of trees

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and different kinds of places is intensely different.

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Oh, I love beech trees!

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Their canopies are so thick in the summer

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that nothing grows beneath them.

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And so they create extraordinary spaces,

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right in the thick of the forest.

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I had no idea this place existed.

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They're all in a circle...

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..as if somebody's planted them

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like temple columns, to stand there.

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And in-between?

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This vast, vast, temple-like space.

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From the ground, the trees reach vertically up to the light...

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..and high, high above is this beautiful green ceiling.

0:26:010:26:05

The sun shining through gives the impression of stained glass,

0:26:080:26:13

as delicate as in any cathedral.

0:26:130:26:15

How much better to find yourself in a cathedral

0:26:200:26:24

than in a car park.

0:26:240:26:27

Summer for Dave Dibden

0:26:420:26:44

is about sorting through all the hazel that he cut in the winter.

0:26:440:26:47

It might not look like much,

0:26:470:26:50

but he has an eye for what can be turned into useful products and sold.

0:26:500:26:55

When I'm cutting during the winter months, coppicing it,

0:26:550:26:58

you haven't got time to sort of sort too much of it out.

0:26:580:27:01

It looks like a load of old twigs

0:27:010:27:03

and a lot of old branches, which it probably is,

0:27:030:27:06

but a lot of gardeners now are going back to the old way of growing things,

0:27:060:27:10

and as I work the rows up,

0:27:100:27:13

you'll see that I'll just sort through stuff that I can think

0:27:130:27:18

we'd better use for pea and bean sticks,

0:27:180:27:20

and anything else that comes out.

0:27:200:27:23

And people generally do like 'em that shape

0:27:230:27:26

I mean, some don't seem to worry too much,

0:27:260:27:28

but the peas don't mind really what they grow up,

0:27:280:27:31

but that's just a nice sort of shape

0:27:310:27:34

that can sit up alongside a fence in your garden.

0:27:340:27:37

It's just another way of keeping our woodlands alive,

0:27:370:27:40

and the more people buy this sort of stuff,

0:27:400:27:43

the more we can work our coppices to where they used to be worked.

0:27:430:27:47

The dogs are doing tug-of-war.

0:27:470:27:50

HE LAUGHS

0:27:500:27:53

That's one a bit different, look.

0:27:550:27:59

It's a hazel,

0:27:590:28:00

but when the hazel's growing, this is the honeysuckle

0:28:000:28:04

that would be growing with it when it's young.

0:28:040:28:07

And as the hazel grows, it gradually tightens up and gradually grows,

0:28:090:28:12

and you can see this bit here, it grows right in to it.

0:28:120:28:15

When that's cleaned up and seasoned for a year,

0:28:150:28:18

in the workshop, peel this honeysuckle off,

0:28:180:28:22

trim it up and use that as a walking stick.

0:28:220:28:26

When it's properly finished off,

0:28:260:28:28

Dave can get over £30 for one of his twisty walking sticks.

0:28:280:28:32

He's well known for them.

0:28:320:28:35

But the real rewards for his work are right here in the forest.

0:28:350:28:40

This summer, he saw his first pearl-bordered fritillary in the coppice.

0:28:420:28:47

The caterpillars of this rare butterfly feed only on violets,

0:28:480:28:53

which have flourished here since Dave cut back the overgrown hazel.

0:28:530:28:57

They used to call it "the coppicer's butterfly",

0:28:590:29:02

as it followed the old coppicers from clearing to clearing.

0:29:020:29:07

As coppicing died out, it did, too.

0:29:070:29:10

Now, the adults have returned for the first time in generations.

0:29:120:29:18

It's like a big jigsaw.

0:29:190:29:21

Things click into place.

0:29:210:29:23

You can't push nature,

0:29:230:29:25

but over a period of time, it will click, click, click, click.

0:29:250:29:29

And in the end, you've got a big picture,

0:29:290:29:31

and things come back.

0:29:310:29:33

The full richness of the New Forest comes out

0:29:350:29:37

only when people are part of the bigger picture.

0:29:370:29:41

BABIES CRY

0:29:410:29:43

This is Edward Charles and Amelia May.

0:29:480:29:53

The next generation of commoners

0:29:550:29:57

arriving at the busiest time in the farming year.

0:29:570:30:01

Most people take paternity leave.

0:30:040:30:06

Luckily it rained for the week they were born

0:30:060:30:08

so Robert could come to the hospital with me.

0:30:080:30:10

Didn't have to go haymaking that week.

0:30:100:30:12

But the following week, he did go haymaking, so we didn't see him much.

0:30:120:30:16

Like all commoners, the Strides have some land.

0:30:210:30:25

The rights to graze livestock on the forest are tied to that land.

0:30:260:30:30

They can keep their animals here when they're not on the forest,

0:30:300:30:33

and grow winter fodder for their cows.

0:30:330:30:37

And if the sun's shining, haymaking can't wait,

0:30:370:30:41

even if you've just had twins.

0:30:410:30:43

Haymaking is a fundamental part of a commoner's life.

0:30:430:30:46

I mean, if you haven't got any feed in the winter, you're stuffed.

0:30:460:30:50

When the sun comes out like this, it's a real haymaker.

0:30:530:30:57

The grass wilts as you're looking at it, which is good for us.

0:30:570:31:01

Makes our life a lot easier.

0:31:010:31:02

By midsummer, Robert's pastures need a rest.

0:31:140:31:18

Come on, come on.

0:31:180:31:19

So he now leads his cows out into the forest to find fresh grazing.

0:31:190:31:24

Dad always says it's good for a cow to go out in the forest.

0:31:380:31:41

It keeps them active in their minds.

0:31:410:31:44

You'll turn them out and away they'll go.

0:31:440:31:46

Animals are not silly, are they? They know which plants to eat.

0:31:580:32:02

If you had enough time to study what a cow eats in a day

0:32:020:32:04

you would have a surprise to what a cow would eat out in the forest.

0:32:040:32:08

We're used to seeing cows in fields,

0:32:090:32:11

but their ancestors evolved in the ancient forests,

0:32:110:32:15

so they're quite at home here.

0:32:150:32:17

And whenever they move back into their ancestral home,

0:32:190:32:21

they join the ponies and the deer,

0:32:210:32:24

in having a profound effect on the nature of the forest.

0:32:240:32:28

The ancient woods are not really the dense woodland you might expect.

0:32:380:32:41

Because with the grazing pressure from ponies, cattle and deer

0:32:410:32:44

there are a lot of open spaces within the trees.

0:32:440:32:48

One of the most visible elements is what we call a browse line,

0:32:480:32:53

this is effectively a line, up to which the ponies and other species can reach.

0:32:530:32:58

It means that there's clear visibility between the trees.

0:33:100:33:14

When you're walking in the woods you can see through

0:33:140:33:17

and it makes it very attractive for the walk

0:33:170:33:19

because you can see a long way ahead although there are quite a lot of trees around.

0:33:190:33:23

The open nature of these ancient woods,

0:33:280:33:30

isn't just a result of recent grazing practices.

0:33:300:33:34

People and their livestock were helping to shape them from the earliest times.

0:33:340:33:39

If you go back far enough into Mesolithic times,

0:33:400:33:44

maybe 8,000 years ago, then this would have been

0:33:440:33:46

the sort of land that most of Britain and a large part of Europe would have been.

0:33:460:33:50

And I have a feeling that the reason that so many of us

0:33:500:33:53

actually love the New Forest, and love walking in it,

0:33:530:33:55

is because this is the sort of habitat we would have lived in.

0:33:550:33:58

It's something in our psyche which says

0:33:580:34:01

this is really what our habitat should be.

0:34:010:34:03

The New Forest is the very last place in Western Europe

0:34:100:34:13

where we can directly experience this link with our own forest past.

0:34:130:34:18

It's a connection that some feel is fundamentally important to us today.

0:34:180:34:23

"And then said Father, it's time for a midnight stroll.

0:34:240:34:28

"When you have come to the end..."

0:34:280:34:30

I think the forest is rooted deeply inside all of us.

0:34:300:34:33

"Well that night they put on coats for it was getting cold."

0:34:330:34:38

As a storyteller, I tell folk tales from all around the world

0:34:380:34:43

but still for me, this is where the stories I love most come from.

0:34:430:34:48

Hansel And Gretel, Robin Hood, The Hobbit,

0:34:500:34:53

so many of the stories we heard as children

0:34:530:34:56

owe their genesis to the wild wood.

0:34:560:34:58

Well, many of the movies we see, and the novels we read,

0:35:050:35:10

even in urban settings, continue to play out the same themes.

0:35:100:35:13

The forest draws you in,

0:35:140:35:16

but at the same time you're frightened of what you might find there.

0:35:160:35:20

It's a metaphor for life.

0:35:200:35:22

We all carry this place around with us in our imaginations,

0:35:240:35:28

but today, most of us have lost that physical connection.

0:35:280:35:32

If you can actually get out into the forest,

0:35:340:35:37

it can be a hugely powerful experience.

0:35:370:35:40

The forest is not just a fascinating place. I think

0:35:420:35:46

it's the ancient heart of our culture.

0:35:460:35:50

Late summer in the New Forest, is the start of the annual pony round-ups, known as "drifts",

0:35:590:36:06

and the first social engagement for the Stride twins.

0:36:060:36:09

It's a big thing in the social calendar of the forest.

0:36:090:36:13

It looks like a bit of a Wild West show, I think, to the outside world.

0:36:130:36:18

The drifts are a once-a-year chance to gather up ponies for sale

0:36:220:36:26

but they're also a way of checking up on their welfare.

0:36:260:36:29

You need a bit of luck and lot of skill to catch ponies.

0:36:320:36:36

You've got to use stealth.

0:36:380:36:39

If they see you riding out through, they'll twig.

0:36:390:36:44

Usually split up into small groups

0:36:440:36:47

and everybody knows where their positions are.

0:36:470:36:49

You've got to come round, sort of in a pincer movement

0:36:490:36:53

and it's like a surprise attack, really.

0:36:530:36:55

At the end of the day, it is a job, not just a jolly,

0:37:090:37:11

but there's something about riding across the forest after ponies at speed.

0:37:110:37:15

Some people say we're absolute maniacs.

0:37:150:37:17

Well.. most people actually.

0:37:170:37:19

-Idiots.

-Idiots.

0:37:190:37:20

We do get fired up and we will get annoyed with one another and say,

0:37:290:37:32

"Why the hell didn't you do this, why the hell didn't you do that?"

0:37:320:37:35

You always told me as a boy, if you didn't get swore at,

0:37:350:37:39

you wouldn't be any good.

0:37:390:37:40

We're all right again the next day, or the day after.

0:37:400:37:43

-It might take a couple of days.

-Settle down.

0:37:430:37:46

Usually you go out three or four times on a drift

0:37:500:37:53

and sweep different areas to get as many ponies in as you can.

0:37:530:37:57

You've really got to pit your wits against them to catch them.

0:37:590:38:02

Some of the riders will be waiting in key positions to push them on towards the pound.

0:38:040:38:10

But things don't always go to plan.

0:38:150:38:17

They don't all get caught, there are some very elusive ones.

0:38:310:38:35

The plan worked, three-quarters of the plan,

0:38:380:38:40

the ponies came right down to the pound,

0:38:400:38:42

but the riders weren't up with the ponies

0:38:420:38:46

and ponies had a chance to think, and if you give ponies a chance to think, they'll outwit you.

0:38:460:38:50

And they turned back before we could catch up with them.

0:38:500:38:54

And once they've turned back, that's the end of it.

0:38:550:38:58

You have good days and bad days on drifts.

0:39:020:39:05

Last week we had five mares and foals to take home,

0:39:050:39:08

today we've got nothing, but that's the way it goes.

0:39:080:39:10

Even though I haven't got anything to go home with, somebody else has.

0:39:100:39:14

It's their turn to take their ponies home this week,

0:39:140:39:17

and next week it'll be my turn again so that's the way it is.

0:39:170:39:20

By coming together at the drift,

0:39:230:39:25

the commoners can collectively look after the welfare of the ponies

0:39:250:39:28

and properly manage their numbers on the forest.

0:39:280:39:31

The ponies are first wormed, then reflective collars are fitted

0:39:330:39:37

to make them more visible to cars at night.

0:39:370:39:39

To show that the fees for keeping them on the forest have been paid,

0:39:420:39:45

their tails are cut.

0:39:450:39:48

Each area of the forest with its own unique pattern.

0:39:480:39:52

Any new foals that are staying on the forest are now marked

0:39:540:39:58

with the owner's brand, so that everyone can see

0:39:580:40:01

who is responsible for the animal's well-being.

0:40:010:40:04

Ponies that have been picked out for sale

0:40:060:40:09

are now taken home by their owners.

0:40:090:40:11

But they won't know whether they've made a profit

0:40:120:40:15

until the pony sales in the autumn.

0:40:150:40:18

By late August, morning dews are growing heavy

0:40:570:41:01

and summer visitors are preparing to leave.

0:41:010:41:04

Across the forest, heather is now in full bloom.

0:41:220:41:26

The last of summer's nectar,

0:41:310:41:34

with the first signs that autumn is not far away.

0:41:340:41:37

In Dave's coppice, this year's shoots are now at head height,

0:41:450:41:49

but until the sap is down again,

0:41:490:41:51

he can't start cutting his next patch of hazel.

0:41:510:41:54

With time on his hands, there's a chance to practise another lost skill.

0:41:570:42:02

Charcoal burning -

0:42:040:42:06

once an essential part of every woodsman's year

0:42:060:42:09

and a way of using up any left-over hazel.

0:42:090:42:12

You get a real good fire going, a real good hot base.

0:42:120:42:16

And then the drum, I raise it up about roughly about four inches with wooden blocks.

0:42:160:42:20

You pack it in the drum as tight as you can, really.

0:42:220:42:25

It's looking quite good at the moment.

0:42:280:42:30

It's building up a lot of heat,

0:42:300:42:32

actually inside the drum now, which is what we want.

0:42:320:42:36

You don't want the wood to really burn

0:42:380:42:41

so you're more or less cooking it,

0:42:410:42:43

but once you know it's well alight at the bottom,

0:42:430:42:45

you can start shutting the air out.

0:42:450:42:48

Then you're just keeping the fire... It's just turning over then.

0:42:490:42:53

And it's not roaring away.

0:42:530:42:55

That's when it really starts cooking and you get loads and loads of white smoke come out.

0:42:550:43:01

Charcoal is formed when the heat from the fire drives off water

0:43:020:43:06

and impurities to leave just carbon.

0:43:060:43:08

The white smoke is the water being turned into steam

0:43:110:43:15

and you gradually see the smoke changing and it goes yellowy

0:43:150:43:20

and that's the minerals being burnt off.

0:43:200:43:23

The real skill is in constantly reading the smoke.

0:43:260:43:29

Get it wrong and you can easily burn the wood

0:43:290:43:32

and end up with a pile of ash.

0:43:320:43:35

A lot of it...OK, you can read it all in books

0:43:350:43:39

but it's like a lot of all these old crafts, it's done by the feel of it,

0:43:390:43:43

listening to the way it's drawing up through the drum

0:43:430:43:45

and using your instinct, really.

0:43:450:43:47

When it starts to really turn to charcoal,

0:43:490:43:52

very thin smoke starts coming off then, bluey colour.

0:43:520:43:55

And that's when you can start really shutting it down.

0:44:000:44:03

You shut all your gaps up round the bottom

0:44:030:44:05

and then you shut the top off without the air getting to it,

0:44:050:44:09

it will just naturally go out.

0:44:090:44:11

Just let the drum cool down then.

0:44:130:44:15

With a bit of luck you'll have some nice charcoal.

0:44:170:44:20

Just enough to make a few pound here and there on a bag.

0:44:210:44:24

The charcoal from hazel coppices was once the most valuable source of fuel in Britain.

0:44:270:44:32

It's almost pure carbon, burning hotter than coal.

0:44:320:44:36

And for thousands of years was the only fuel hot enough to smelt iron.

0:44:370:44:41

These days it goes for barbecues,

0:44:430:44:45

so long as Dave can get it home safely.

0:44:450:44:48

Sometimes it has been known, you've just got to leave a little spark in there

0:44:490:44:52

and it can reignite again, so the first few hours is crucial

0:44:520:44:58

or else you'll be driving home and you'll say, "What's that burning?"

0:44:580:45:01

and your bag's alight in the back of the truck, you've got another fire.

0:45:010:45:04

It's the first pony sale of September

0:45:110:45:13

and the biggest sale of the year.

0:45:130:45:15

Tourists come from all over the world for the spectacle,

0:45:200:45:24

but, for commoners, it's much more important than that.

0:45:240:45:28

On the grate 15...

0:45:280:45:29

40 or 30...

0:45:290:45:31

Robert and Richard Stride have brought ten of their ponies today.

0:45:350:45:38

I haven't got a bar behind them, have I?

0:45:400:45:43

110, at 110 guineas?

0:45:430:45:45

At 110, no money at all.

0:45:450:45:47

The experts say that a forest pony's got the most placid and lovely temperament

0:45:490:45:53

of any of the native breeds.

0:45:530:45:55

They're usually easy to break in and handle.

0:45:550:45:59

But the sale isn't going as well as hoped.

0:46:110:46:14

Today's not been the best sale I've ever been to.

0:46:140:46:17

Prices are very depressed.

0:46:190:46:20

Some of the very best foals in there didn't sell

0:46:200:46:22

and they only had reserves of £50 on them,

0:46:220:46:26

so it's a sad indictment of the times, I think.

0:46:260:46:30

At 80 guineas...

0:46:300:46:31

Richard and Robert have sold eight of their foals, but at a loss.

0:46:310:46:36

In a recession, there's less demand for ponies,

0:46:360:46:39

and that's coupled with higher production costs.

0:46:390:46:42

Each pony sold has to have a passport and an identifying microchip.

0:46:450:46:50

which is placed under its skin.

0:46:500:46:53

It's the seller who has to pay for both of these costs.

0:46:530:46:56

There was foals in there, lovely foals, for £10.

0:46:580:47:01

The cost of production is closer to 35 just for the paperwork

0:47:010:47:05

and the microchip, so it's an absolute loss.

0:47:050:47:09

It's pretty heartbreaking, really.

0:47:090:47:12

It's not all about the money, I mean, it's the old traditions and the heritage of it all,

0:47:130:47:19

but, it would be nice if they did make a bit of profit,

0:47:190:47:23

instead of a loss.

0:47:230:47:25

Even though times are tough, New Forest ponies, with their hardy nature and gentle temperament,

0:47:280:47:33

do still find good homes

0:47:330:47:36

and commoners have always been resourceful.

0:47:360:47:40

We've got to evolve our systems to suit the market.

0:47:400:47:42

It won't collapse, but it has got to change.

0:47:420:47:47

Like my mother says, we've got to evolve with the times,

0:47:470:47:49

it's no good being like a dinosaur. Look what happened to the dinosaurs.

0:47:490:47:53

As Autumn comes to the New Forest,

0:48:130:48:17

beech, birch, ash and oak, each in their own time,

0:48:170:48:22

turn the landscape golden.

0:48:220:48:24

GRUNTING AND BELLOWING

0:48:250:48:28

As the leaves start to fall away, the forest echoes with strange new sounds.

0:48:280:48:33

Fallow deer bucks are proclaiming their dominance,

0:48:400:48:43

hoping to mate before the winter sets in.

0:48:430:48:46

The oaks are always the last to turn,

0:48:530:48:56

but first they become heavy with acorns.

0:48:560:49:00

It's time for commoners to let their pigs into the forest.

0:49:000:49:06

Cows and ponies can be poisoned if they eat too many acorns,

0:49:210:49:26

but pigs are immune to their tannins.

0:49:260:49:29

And as they hoover them up,

0:49:310:49:32

they reduce the danger to other livestock.

0:49:320:49:35

Meanwhile, the pigs get fat on the fruits of autumn.

0:49:370:49:41

And for many, autumn is simply a time to get out into the forest

0:49:570:50:01

and soak up a brief but glorious moment of colour

0:50:010:50:05

before winter takes hold.

0:50:050:50:07

What a joy to come back into the forest in autumn, you know,

0:50:110:50:16

especially on a sunny day.

0:50:160:50:18

It knows how to die.

0:50:190:50:20

I think that's the joy about coming into the forest at this time.

0:50:200:50:24

Just like after a really good party,

0:50:250:50:27

everything sort of leaves at a different time,

0:50:270:50:30

that family collects itself and says, "Right, birches, out of here,

0:50:300:50:34

"on we go we've done our bit." And the oak says, "Nah, I'm sticking, on a while,

0:50:340:50:37

"I've still things to do."

0:50:370:50:40

And then the beeches go,

0:50:430:50:45

"Well, before I leave, you know,

0:50:450:50:48

"I'll do a turn."

0:50:480:50:50

They exit in style.

0:50:530:50:55

It's light through colour,

0:51:130:51:16

light through gold.

0:51:160:51:19

And it's a colour that just...

0:51:200:51:23

..it feeds you, it makes you feel a real deep joy.

0:51:240:51:29

I am of that age where suddenly you find yourself

0:51:370:51:42

at more funerals than christenings.

0:51:420:51:44

I've lost six close family members and two dear friends,

0:51:440:51:49

and in the confines of my home,

0:51:490:51:54

sometimes life hasn't made sense.

0:51:540:51:56

But...

0:51:580:52:00

..constantly by myself, with my dog,

0:52:010:52:04

with a good friend, I've gotten out into the forest,

0:52:040:52:09

and there's a really deep sense of contentment

0:52:090:52:13

and a deep interaction with things that are true

0:52:130:52:18

and are just doing what they do.

0:52:180:52:21

This is not the holiday world of time taken out of real life.

0:52:210:52:24

This is real life, this is a real place,

0:52:240:52:27

and we so need to be in real places.

0:52:270:52:32

When we're autumnal, when we're worn out,

0:52:340:52:36

whether we're 16 and worn out, or 60 and worn out,

0:52:360:52:41

the forest will give something back.

0:52:410:52:44

It's regenerative, it builds you up again,

0:52:440:52:48

it puts you back on your feet.

0:52:480:52:51

For over six months, the forest has been cloaked in leaves.

0:53:240:53:28

Winter brings a new, stark beauty,

0:53:300:53:33

as the bones of the forest are laid bare once more.

0:53:330:53:37

It's now that the trees most clearly reveal stories from the past.

0:53:370:53:41

There's a place I love called Soarley Beeches.

0:53:450:53:48

A place that says as much to me about the New Forest as anywhere.

0:53:500:53:54

It's a group of beeches of such impressive proportions

0:53:570:54:00

that you can't help but be moved by them.

0:54:000:54:03

But these trees are not entirely natural.

0:54:090:54:12

The reason they look like this is because they are pollards.

0:54:120:54:15

Pollarding was an ancient way of harvesting the wood from trees

0:54:180:54:21

by chopping the branches off at head height.

0:54:210:54:23

When pollarding stopped here over 300 years ago,

0:54:250:54:28

these trees just kept growing, branching out

0:54:280:54:31

from where they were cut to form these extraordinary shapes.

0:54:310:54:35

Today, these New Forest giants are coming to the end of their lives

0:54:420:54:46

and with them the record of a lost practice dies too.

0:54:460:54:50

But to think that such iconic trees were the result

0:54:530:54:56

of a few woodsmen's cuts so long ago

0:54:560:55:00

tells us a great deal about the true nature of this forest.

0:55:000:55:03

The thing I love most about the New Forest

0:55:070:55:10

is this deep sense of continuity with the past.

0:55:100:55:12

Soarley beeches for me is a clear reminder that this wilderness

0:55:140:55:18

has been made by nature, but in a long alliance with people,

0:55:180:55:22

to provide something which I don't think exists really anywhere else.

0:55:220:55:26

Nearly a thousand years ago,

0:55:320:55:34

William the Conqueror protected this forest for its deer.

0:55:340:55:39

Unwittingly, he preserved something that has become unique.

0:55:390:55:42

In 2005, the New Forest was made a national park

0:55:450:55:48

to recognise the value of its landscape and wildlife,

0:55:480:55:52

but just as importantly the relationship between forest and people.

0:55:520:55:57

Robert and Lyndsey Stride believe the long tradition of commoning

0:56:000:56:03

is fundamental to keeping the special nature of the forest

0:56:030:56:07

secure into the future.

0:56:070:56:09

Oh, that's better...

0:56:110:56:12

'The forest will always be facing challenges

0:56:120:56:17

'but essentially the forest will always be

0:56:170:56:22

'and I hope that,

0:56:220:56:25

'you know, for the twins,

0:56:250:56:27

'they're going to have that same sense of freedom

0:56:270:56:30

'that we had as children, and that they will learn to love the forest.'

0:56:300:56:35

'Nearly every member of our family is still actively involved in commoning one way or another,

0:56:370:56:42

'so I would hope that these two will carry on the traditions of keeping ponies and cattle and pigs

0:56:420:56:48

'and trying to keep the forest going in the traditional way.

0:56:480:56:52

'Without active commoners managing the forest and the landscape,

0:56:540:56:59

'through their animals grazing it,

0:56:590:57:02

'the forest would be a very different place for everybody.'

0:57:020:57:05

For centuries, people have grazed their animals on the New Forest

0:57:140:57:18

and harvested its trees.

0:57:180:57:20

Managed with care, it has phenomenal power to regenerate itself.

0:57:230:57:28

Work against it, and all will be lost.

0:57:310:57:35

Work with the forest, and you'll find it infinitely dependable.

0:57:350:57:40

# Can we start something new

0:57:420:57:45

# Further than you

0:57:450:57:48

# As death is to birth

0:57:480:57:51

# The Moon to the Earth

0:57:510:57:54

# Find a future I can believe... #

0:57:540:57:58

Next time, we travel north to a vast wilderness

0:58:020:58:06

where Britain becomes truly arctic.

0:58:060:58:09

Where conditions are so extreme

0:58:090:58:12

that they challenge even the toughest of survivors.

0:58:120:58:16

The Cairngorms.

0:58:180:58:20

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0:58:410:58:44

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