Traditional Orchards

This is a spatial dataset contain the location of Traditional Orchards sites around Wales. Traditional orchards are listed as a UK BAP priority habitats, which are those habitats that were identified as being the most threatened and requiring conservation action under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). Traditional orchards are structurally and ecologically similar to wood-pasture and parkland, with open-grown trees set in herbaceous vegetation, but are generally distinguished from these priority habitat complexes by the following characteristics: the species composition of the trees, these being primarily in the family Rosaceae; the usually denser arrangement of the trees; the small scale of individual habitat patches; the wider dispersion and greater frequency of occurrence o f habitat patches in the countryside. Traditional orchards include plantings for nuts, principally hazel nuts, but also walnuts. Management of the trees is the other main feature distinguishing traditional orchards and wood-pasture and parkland. Trees in traditional orchards are, or were, grown for fruit and nut production, usually achieved through activities such as grafting and pruning; whereas timber has been the main product from trees in wood-pastures and parkland, mostly derived from pollarding or selective felling. Grazing or cutting of herbaceous vegetation are integral to orchard management, as they are in wood-pastures and parkland.本空间数据集收录了威尔士境内传统果园（Traditional Orchards）的点位分布信息。传统果园已被列为英国生物多样性行动计划（UK Biodiversity Action Plan, UK BAP）优先保护生境，即经该计划认定的受威胁程度最高、亟需开展保护行动的生境类型。传统果园在结构与生态特征上与疏林牧地（wood-pasture）和公园式林地（parkland）高度相似，均为林木开阔生长于草本植被之中，但二者可通过以下特征加以区分：其一，林木的物种组成以蔷薇科（Rosaceae）植物为主；其二，林木排布通常更为密集；其三，单个生境斑块的规模更小；其四，乡村区域内的生境斑块分布范围更广、出现频率更高。传统果园的种植对象涵盖坚果类作物，主要为榛子，同时也包括核桃。林木管护方式是区分传统果园与疏林牧地、公园式林地的另一核心特征。传统果园内的林木当前或过往均以生产果品与坚果为培育目标，通常通过嫁接、修剪等管护手段实现；而疏林牧地与公园式林地的林木主要以生产木材为核心目的，其木材多来自截干（pollarding）作业或择伐（selective felling）。与疏林牧地、公园式林地一致，草本植被的放牧或刈割亦是果园管护的必要组成环节。