Identifying ancient woodland
Both map and field evidence should be used to determine whether a wood is ancient or not. For very small woods , however , identification is more complicated for the following reasons :• Map evidence may be less reliable – woods may simply have been missed by the cartographer
• Where woods are fragments of formerly much larger site , shapes and location criteria ( see below ) may not apply.
• Species used as indicators of ancient woodland may not always be present , especially in small replanted sites where such species may have been unable to survive the environmental changes in the wood ( conversely , even the most stubborn of “ poor colonists “ ancient woodland indicator plants can sometimes be found in new woods.
Other possible factors complicating identification of all ancient woodland include :
• Wood banks , which are characteristic identification features of lowland ancient woods but are often absent from upland woods.
• Plough furrows in a wood , which usually mean it is not ancient , but sometimes trees have recolonised a farmed site abandoned before 1600 , so the wood is still regarded as ancient ( albeit “ secondary “ )
For these reasons , always look at as many of the strands of evidence as possible
Most of the information above is by kind permission of English Nature © Guildlines for Identifying ancient woodland - English Nature 1998 ISBN 1-85716-253-6
Recommended reading :
Kirby, Keith 1992 Woodland and wildlife Whittet Books
Marren , Peter 1992 The Wild Woods David and Charles
Peterken , George 1993 Woodland Conservation & Management Chapman & Hall
Rackham , Oliver 1980 Ancient Woodland its history Edward Arnold
For information on the work of English Nature please visit their web site.www.english-nature.org.uk
