Scientists studied how the plant communities and soil properties of farmland changed as it slowly developed into ex-arable planted woodland over a period of 25 years. They compared this to nearby ancient woodland.
The researchers found that the soil characteristics and both plant and fungal communities in ex-arable woodland remained distinct from those in ancient woodland 25-years after planting. Several properties – such as soil pH, available phosphorus and potassium, and overall plant diversity – showed signs of gradual convergence but an absence of specialist woodland species persisted.
The results were published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.
This isn’t really surprising. 25 years after planting the trees are still young. Some won’t have even had their first seeding season. Few if any will have fallen to rot and contribute to soil quality. Come back in another 75 years and I suspect they’ll still be a measurable difference.