A Cant is an area of woodland that can be identified and managed to create a productive woodland.
At Fowlshatch Copse, we have created 3 Cants each of hich is divided furhter into a, b and c sub-cants. The idea is that each area is managable enough for a particular task. More detailed plans can be found in the woodland plan.
Cant 1 is the southernmost cant in the woodland and covers the area adjacent to Prestwick lane, down into the dip created by the drainage ditch, and back up to roughly the top of the slope at the edge of Cant 2.
Cant 1a is the southwest and cant 1b the northeast sections, with cant 1c running along the lane baoundary, roughly marked by an ancient wide dip and mound earthwork. We are creating a dead-hedge on the top of the mound to emphasise this interesting feature.
Cant 2 is the middle section of the woodland, planted with conifers. It is a level area with undulations possibly caised by ironstone mining in the distant past. Cant 2a is at the western edge, Cant 2b is the central section, and cant 2c is the eastern area. The northern edge of this cant is the top of the steep slope that runs down to the river onthe northern boundary.
Cant 3 is the northern section of the woodland. It is bounded by the top of the slope to the south, and the river to the north. It is split into 3a, wet, damp ground near the river, cant 3b, dry ground on the slope, and a corner area to the north east of the plot, cant 3c.
We use these references in the task plan