The habitat improvement project at The Wood Farm on the River Winster is now complete.

Approximately 480m of the River Winster is now fenced, protecting the watercourse from livestock poaching, sedimentation and nutrient enrichment. The project included 700m of stockproof line wire fencing along the river and native tree planting to create natural river bank areas. Native tree planting in the newly created riparian zone will provide an important riparian habitat in areas previously devoid of bankside vegetation. By limiting stock access to the river, bankside vegetation will grow and stabilise the banks. Also, less sediment and nutrients will enter the Winster, improving water quality and aquatic habitats for invertebrates, plants and fish.

Funding for this project was kindly provided by the Winster and Gilpin Habitat Improvement project and the Environment Agency.

Figure 1: Newly installed fence line to reduce livestock poaching, sedimentation and nutrient inputs to the River Winster.