‘Understanding the Herefordshire landscape, using digital mapping, aerial photography and LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging)’
David Lovelace, landscape historian (contact : david@tilia.org.uk), presented a fascinating lecture about the County’s topography in November 2011. The event formed part of Herefordshire Tree Week, and it was co-hosted by Hereford Civic Society and Here for Hereford.
In his talk David toured the landscapes of the Woolhope Dome, of Mordiford, Haugh Wood, Kentchurch, Hereford, Sutton St. Michael, Colwall Park, and of Belmont and Warham, all illustrated by a staggering number of slides.
Of course they weren’t ‘slides’ as such; they were digital images downloaded, and often multi-layered, from a variety of sources. David explained the provenance of his sources:- Ordnance Survey maps, tithe maps, geo-rectified maps, aerial photographs, the now-declassified 1953 Forestry Commission census survey, National Archives’ documents (digitised by Houston University in their entirety) and LIDAR, an optical remote sensing technology. LIDAR instruments attached to aircraft or satellites can direct laser beams to image objects and underlying landscapes beneath the soil surface. An obvious feature of LIDAR images recorded in Herefordshire is of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing, hidden beneath enclosed arable fields.
Of particular interest was David’s work on the woodlands and forests of medieval Herefordshire, revealing them to be complex areas of multiple land use. The King’s Forest of Haye reached as far as Hereford’s ‘Old Bridge’ and King Richard II in 1383 provided funds to repair the bridge after flooding. Within the Woolhope Dome what was heathland in medieval times had been wooded and coppiced by the 1550’s. Evidence of tree planting pre-dates even the so-called ‘dark ages’. In Kentchurch Park there is an oak tree whose girth measures 12 metres. There are only nine other recorded oak trees of such immense size in the U.K.
The digital revolution has made historical sources newly accessible and David Lovelace has fully realised the potential of this revolution. He is excited by the prospect of restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites and welcomes contact from anyone keen to volunteer. The newly formed Herefordshire Tree Forum should help to secure the County’s vision for an outstanding natural environment.
