KS2 Science

TEACHERS SHEET

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY:
HABITATS & SUCCESSION
Session aims: However the majority of the landscape in the UK would
revert to woodland if grazing or ploughing were removed. If a
To further develop appreciation of how one habitat can
ploughed field is abandoned or left fallow, within a year it will
develop into another.
be full of tree seedlings.Within ten years it would be hard to
To understand that humans can create new habitats. reclaim the land back for crops; within 30 years a young
woodland would be visible.Trees like birch are rapid
Activity:
colonisers, because their tiny seeds can travel some distance
Give the class background information about succession, on the wind. Fast growing, smaller weeds and shrubs will
based on the timeline graphic (supplied) and discuss the eventually be out-competed by slower growing bigger trees
background information. Pupils can then fill in the attached in the race for light and nutrients. It takes centuries for a fully
worksheets or teachers can use these questions to extend mature woodland to form; for example oak trees are still
the discussion. only middle aged at 200 years old. Planting of new woodland
merely speeds up the early stages of this process and allows
Background information:
more choice about the different species of trees to be
What is succession? planted, perhaps to benefit particular types of wildlife.
Succession is the name for the natural process of
colonisation in which one plant community is slowly replaced
by another. A dramatic example of succession is Equipment:
demonstrated by the different types of plant community that Worksheets, pencils, information books, access to
colonised the UK at the end of the last Ice Age as the the internet.
environment began to warm up (from 11,000 BC onwards).
Tundra (cold-tolerant shrubs and grasses) was slowly
replaced by woodland.The first tree species to colonise the
tundra were birch, aspen and sallow. Eventually, lowland areas
QCA Curriculum links:
would have been covered with woodland, with southern Unit 4B (Year 4): Habitats.
regions dominated by lime, west and northern regions with
oak and hazel and parts of Scotland with pine or birch forest. Section 2: Finding different habitats
Collectively, these were known as ‘wildwoods’. Section 3: Different animals in different habitats
Most of these woods were cleared by Neolithic man from
Unit 6A (Year 6): Interdependence and
about 4000 BC onwards to make space for settlements and
adaptation.
pastures for grazing animals or fields for growing crops.The
tendency to clear woodland for other land uses has Section 9:Animals and plants in a different habitat
continued into the present day.

These sheets have been designed to be shared. Feel free to photocopy and provide to colleagues.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity dedicated to the protection
of our native woodland heritage. www.woodland-trust.org.uk www.treeforall.org.uk
 KS2 Science
PUPIL WORKSHEET

PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY:
HABITATS & SUCCESSION

Questions – Write your answers under the question

2. As the population of the UK increased, more trees were felled to make way for
pastureland. If pastureland is not grazed for a long time, what do you think will start to
happen to it?

3. If pastureland is grazed regularly, why won’t it turn into woodland?

4. What kinds of animal graze pastureland? Think about wild and domestic animals.

5.Why do you think it is important to keep deer and rabbits away from newly planted
trees?

6.Why do you think it is important to stop too many weeds growing around newly
planted trees?

These sheets have been designed to be shared. Feel free to photocopy and provide to colleagues.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity dedicated to the protection
of our native woodland heritage. www.woodland-trust.org.uk www.treeforall.org.uk
 KS2 Science
TEACHERS ANSWERS
PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY:
HABITATS & SUCCESSION

Pupil worksheet – Habitats & succession Further activities:

2. Small shrubs and trees will start to grow, from seeds • Research the range of wildlife found on farmland (e.g.
blown or dropped in the area. Eventually these will grow up pasture and arable fields) and woodland.Which of the
into a young woodland. habitats supports the most wildlife? Why do you think
this is?
3. Grazing animals will eat any tree seedling that tries to
establish, so the area won’t develop into woodland. • Compare the value to wildlife of tree species introduced
to this country (e.g. sitka spruce) with a native tree such
4.Wild animals that graze pastureland range from rabbits and as oak.Which supports the most wildlife? Why?
hare to deer. Domestic animals include cows, horses, sheep
and goats. • Find out more about bird or animal species that are
threatened in the UK (eg greater horseshoe bat, lesser
5. Mature trees are relatively safe from rabbits and deer spotted woodpecker).Why might tree planting help them?
because their branches are often out of reach and the thick (Notes:The greater horseshoe bat uses woodland as a
bark on their trunk provides some protection against feeding ground. Its range is currently restricted to Wales
gnawing.Young trees have thin bark and their leaves are much in the UK.The lesser spotted woodpecker is found in
closer to the ground so are more vulnerable to damage. England and Wales. It relies on access to dead wood
6. Tall weeds can compete with newly planted trees for light, for nesting.)
water and nutrients.

Extension answers
7. The woodland would eventually grow back, but would take
hundreds of years to mature. Some trees and shrubs can
grow back from stumps (e.g. hazel), but others would regrow
from seeds.
8. Woodland takes a long time to grow. Planting trees is a
much quicker way of establishing a new wood. It is also
possible to select the most appropriate tree species to plant.
For example, oak trees support a rich variety of wildlife, but
because their seeds are heavy it may take centuries for them
to move into new areas – each generation of new trees may
only spread by a few metres from the parent tree. Planting
oak trees in a new area speeds up this process dramatically.

These sheets have been designed to be shared. Feel free to photocopy and provide to colleagues.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity dedicated to the protection
of our native woodland heritage. www.woodland-trust.org.uk www.treeforall.org.uk