The dominant species of tree in the wood are:
Oak (mainly Pendunculate, but Sessile is also found)
Hornbeam (seen as pollards, coppices as well as ‘maiden’ trees)
Silver Birch (a pioneer species but relatively short lived)
The following can also be found in the wood:
Beech (many quite ancient, especially that at the end of the picnic area)
Sweet Chestnut (introduced species and often occurs in groves)
Hazel (sometimes coppiced)
Ash (compound leaves aid identification)
Sycamore (an invasive species which is being controlled in some areas of the wood)
Field Maple (not very widespread – only one tree known at present)
Hawthorn (Common, Midland and hybrids)
Blackthorn (notably between the Blue trail and ‘Hut Glade’)
Rowan (most obvious when the berries appear)
Crab Apple (easiest to see when in blossom)
Wild Cherry
Goat Willow (Sallow) (grows well in damper areas and important as food for butterflies)
Aspen (look for the ‘trembling leaves’)
Elm (few in number – some on the southern boundary near the old bridleway, some near the metal gate and some where Grimes Brook crosses into the School Camp)
Horse Chestnut (Not as common as Sweet Chestnut, but examples throughout wood)
Holly (everywhere!)
Rhododendron (The ponticum species is highly invasive and subject of ongoing control and removal)
Yew (several in car park and single examples scattered elsewhere)
Wild Service (most probably deliberately introduced – three close to entrance drive and one on north side of Brook Glade)
Elder (scrubby bushes with rough bark, notable when in flower or when berries emerge)
Conifers (not many: some planted around the car park and cottage and few others scattered around the wood)
Finally, there are those shrubs that live and climb on other trees: ivy and honeysuckle
The trees in the wood are far from uniform in their density. The last major tree survey in the 1970s identified the broad prevalence of tree species across the woods, also identifying the smaller groves and pockets of a single species. Although this is now over 40 years old, the longevity of trees means that aside from where significant glade/path clearance has been performed, much is still accurate. That said, in the 1970s, Holly was described as ‘rare’! Overall, their findings were that the density of species was impacted by the underlying soil type, as well as previous management practices, such as coppicing and pollarding. The survey was summarized in this map:-
