Nature conservation
Young Wood offers a wealth of habitats for wildlife , and our management and use of the woodland is designed to enhance those habitats, while helping more people to enjoy them, learn about them and contribute to their care.
Currently Young Wood supports a mixture of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, some of it planted and some of it self-seeded and semi-natural. There are plantations of oak and ash, and of beech, spruce, pine and larch, mixed with naturally-occurring hazel, willow and many other trees and shrubs. A special feature is the unusually high number of wild service trees, an uncommon tree in Britain. Parts of Young Wood are ancient woodland (ie. they have been continuously wooded since mapped records began) while other parts were planted on open pasture within the past century.
Open glades and rides carry a rich flora on the lime-rich clay soils, with plants like salad burnet, devil's-bit scabious, quaking grass, common spotted orchid and knapweed. Deeper into the shady woods there is wood spurge, twayblade, spurge laurel, and very rarely a greater butterfly orchid or birds-next orchid to be found, amongst typical woodland plants like bluebell, dog's mercury and lots of pendulous sedge.
Below Young Wood, in the valley of the Orchard stream, the Neroche longhorn cattle graze on flower-rich pastures with orchids and other plants aplenty, with extended open space restored as part of the Neroche Scheme.
Our coppicing and ride-widening work has already begun to improve conditions for wildlife, and we plan to continue providing that benefit in the future. All our management work will be geared to producing a sustainable yield of firewood and timber, in a manner which enhances the environment of the forest as a whole.
Take a look at our 'Meet the Neighbours' project page to find out more about the nature we've encountered in our wood!
For more information contact Gavin on [email protected]
Currently Young Wood supports a mixture of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, some of it planted and some of it self-seeded and semi-natural. There are plantations of oak and ash, and of beech, spruce, pine and larch, mixed with naturally-occurring hazel, willow and many other trees and shrubs. A special feature is the unusually high number of wild service trees, an uncommon tree in Britain. Parts of Young Wood are ancient woodland (ie. they have been continuously wooded since mapped records began) while other parts were planted on open pasture within the past century.
Open glades and rides carry a rich flora on the lime-rich clay soils, with plants like salad burnet, devil's-bit scabious, quaking grass, common spotted orchid and knapweed. Deeper into the shady woods there is wood spurge, twayblade, spurge laurel, and very rarely a greater butterfly orchid or birds-next orchid to be found, amongst typical woodland plants like bluebell, dog's mercury and lots of pendulous sedge.
Below Young Wood, in the valley of the Orchard stream, the Neroche longhorn cattle graze on flower-rich pastures with orchids and other plants aplenty, with extended open space restored as part of the Neroche Scheme.
Our coppicing and ride-widening work has already begun to improve conditions for wildlife, and we plan to continue providing that benefit in the future. All our management work will be geared to producing a sustainable yield of firewood and timber, in a manner which enhances the environment of the forest as a whole.
Take a look at our 'Meet the Neighbours' project page to find out more about the nature we've encountered in our wood!
For more information contact Gavin on [email protected]
