Field surveys for ancient woodlands: Issues and Approaches

Field surveys of ancient woodlands and potential ancient woodlands can be undertaken for a variety of purposes, including: to help identify an Ancient Woodland, investigation into existing designated ancient woodlands, gathering information for site management and conservation decision making, assessing potential impacts of development, and making decisions on restoration etc. There is a variety of features in a woodland which can indicate whether it is an ancient woodland and can inform on the history and current ecological/historical value of the site. Many surveys of potential ancient woodlands have tended to focus on ancient woodland indicator species (AWIs), particularly Ancient Woodland Vascular Plants (AWVPs). Surveys which just focus on such indicators miss a lot of historical, archaeological and species information which can help confirm woodland continuity (i.e. that it is an ancient woodland) and/or identify features of historical and conservation value. There is a wide range of field survey techniques which can be used in ancient woodlands and a need to bring together the archaeological and ecological surveys in a single guide, hence this document. There are three broad types of feature to look for in an ancient woodland: • Ancient woodland vascular plant indicators; • Tree shape and form; and • Surface and buried archaeology. This report sets out survey methods for these features and advises on what to look for. Many important ecological and archaeological features can only be easily found at specific times of the year and surveying these features requires specific technical expertise and experience. Where surveys are undertaken outside the optimal period of time and/or are undertaken by individuals without the appropriate training and surveying expertise, the results should be treated with caution. Ideally several types of surveys of a woodland should be undertaken at different times of year to maximise the evidence collected and the robustness of this evidence. Where this is not possible, limitations in the surveys need to be stated and recognised in any analysis. In most cases field surveys should be combined with archive surveys (of site history, previous surveys etc.); this is particularly important when identifying ancient woodlands

Mapping the Dynamics of European Culture - Pressure and Opportunities from the European Enlargement

This paper develops an analytic framework for the ESPON 1.3.3 project “The Role and Spatial Effects of Cultural Heritage and Identity”, started in December 2004 by a network of 12 European Universities under the leadership of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. The conceptual framework of this project lies on the assumption that the cultural heritage of Europe is not just an ensemble of tangible assets to be defended through passive conservation, but rather an element of dynamism of the territory, affecting trajectories of regional development. Thus the proper identification and valorisation of the cultural heritage of Europe is to be considered an integral component of regional planning, with the potential to increase cohesion within an enlarged European Union. The establishment of an “European identity”, gaining from difference and variety, is also part of this vision. In this light, the ESPON 1.3.3 project sets out to highlight the spatial expressions and effects of heritage assets and identify the (existing or potential) elements of territorial coherence at the regional and local scale, mapping the geographical aspects that are actually strengthening regional identities and networks. This paper introduces a list of regional indicators of the European cultural heritage and identity, reflecting elements such as heritage availability, concentration and diversity, spatial patterns at the local and cross-regional level, local embeddedness of intangible heritage assets, pressures on- and potential for the development of heritage, and the governance structure of the heritage management institutions. Parameters are quantitative and qualitative observation allowing the “ordering” of the territory and thus the identification of regional typologies from the elaboration of different ordering criteria. Indicators will cover multiple dimensions regarding the supply, the demand and the spatial organisation of cultural heritage. Data cover the whole NUTS III regional delimitation. The issue of the territorial cohesion of cultural heritage assets is also addressed, considering the following multiple “dimensions” of the interconnection between different “objects” or carriers of meaning: hardware (the infrastructural system), software (images and actual uses), orgware (organizational networks) and shareware (partnerships that support the process of development). These elements are compiled in a framework or model used to analyse the territorial expressions of cultural heritage and identity.

‘Prospects’ and ‘promenades’: using 3D-GIS to recreate contemporary visual experiences within English designed landscapes c.1550-1660

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the elite amongst contemporary society had the wealth and status to create English designed landscapes and artificially-organise them around a variety of visual experiences. These experiences included 'prospects', or landscape views, which contemporaries admired either from static vantage points or along 'promenades' involving movement. In 1624, Henry Wotton theorised how creating visual experiences within these landscapes satisfied the "usurping" sense of sight through the "Lordship of the Feete [and] likewise of the Eye". These visual experiences not only influenced the composition of separate estates but also reflected the landowners' attitudes towards the landscape. However, previous research rarely determined the characteristics of 'prospects' and 'promenades' at specific sites. One significant hindrance is the destruction and modernisation of designed landscapes and the subsequent bias towards renowned or grander sites in current research. The degradation of sites affects their appearance, our understanding of their development and our comprehension of how contemporaries experienced them. Therefore, this thesis utilised a multidisciplinary approach and a digital methodology to provide an innovative yet non-invasive solution. By combining the capabilities of CAD and GIS, 3D-GIS was used to recreate certain designed landscapes within their intended geographical and historical context. The experiences within these designed landscapes were then recreated using viewshed analysis, which estimates the visibility of specific 'prospects', and animation technology, for capturing what contemporaries along particular 'promenades' observed. These results were thus interpreted using an adaptation of phenomenology and reception theory. This research has provided fresh insight into contemporary perceptions within individual designed landscapes and the perspectives of the landowners who created them. 3D-GIS has been proven to contribute towards the study of designed landscapes but also has the potential to inspire research about other historic landscapes

Peackeeping, Peace, Memory: Reflections on the Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa

Since 1948, under the auspices of the United Nations (UN), Canada has contributed over 80,000 men and women from all branches of the armed forces to global peacekeeping. During the 1950s and 1960s, Canada was, in fact, the greatest contributor of ’Blue Helmet’ soldiers to UN peacekeeping endeavours and became the undisputed leader in global peacekeeping. Although peacekeeping was never the sole preoccupation of Canada’s foreign policy, Canadian politicians liked to be seen as projecting an image as ’helpful fixers,’ acting as a voice of moderation between the extremes of the two superpowers during the Cold War. It was a Canadian statesman, Lester B. Pearson, who first used the UN Charter to create the idea of an international peacekeeping force—a concept that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1957

InSites, 2012

Magazine of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planninghttps://digitalcommons.usu.edu/insites/1002/thumbnail.jp

Landscapes in Flux. Book of Proceedings

Peer reviewed proceedings ECLAS 2015 Conference|21 to 23 September| Department of Landscape Architecture, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, EstoniaEvery scientific paper published in these Conference Proceedings was peer reviewed. All explanations, data, results, etc. contained in this book have been made by authors to their best knowledge and were true and accurate at the time of publication. However, some errors could not be excluded, so neither the publisher, the editors, nor the authors can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors and omissions that may be made. © All rights reserved. No part of these proceedings may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.Department of Landscape Architecture, Estonian University of Life Sciences On behalf of European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (ECLAS

Companion to European Heritage Revivals

Cultural Heritage; Cultural Management; Heritage Strategies; Heritage Experience; Cultural Heritage Routes; Routes des Vins d'Alsace; Liberation Route Arnhem Nijmegen; Region Identity Battle Fiel