Old Orchard Wood

A secondary woodland of ash, oak and sycammore, Old Orchard Wood is also interplanted with cherry, horse chestnut, yew and hornbeam.The ground flora largely consists of blackthorn, hazel, elm, dog's mercury, primrose, violet and bugle.

The privately owned woodland is a fantastic teaching resource and demonstrates well the art of 'coppicing'. The trees are cut to ground level every 7 - 12 years on rotation to allow the denser growth of stems. This coppiced wood was traditionally used for fencing, firewood and handles for tools. It is still used on the reserve today for making hurdles and the gaps created in the canopy as a result of the coppicing help to promote the ground flora and increase diversity.

The 'Log Square', a seating constructed of felled trees from the reserve within the woodland also provides the perfect 'woodland classroom' when listening for the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker and many other birds that inhabit the woodland. Rabbits, bank voles and field mice are also frequently encountered with the mole being somewhat more elusive, identified only by his mole hills!