This area of the Wyre Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest belongs to John Ruskin's charity, the Guild of St George and is managed by the Wyre Community Land Trust.
We are managing this area to support a mixture of high forest and heathland, which are valuable habitats for bats, birds and other species.
In large areas of the woodland, the trees.
are relatively young, and mainly comprise
oak with bracken and bramble. This lack of
diversity is a result of changes in woodland
management following World War 1. when
much of the woodland was no longer coppiced because of a collapse in the charcoal industry.
In order to improve the habitat diversity, some trees have been removed to give those remaining more space to grow into large mature trees. The trees that are felled are extracted and processed at the Wyre Community land Trust's woodyard and sawmill at St George's Farm and used to make a variety of timber products and firewood.
Volunteers have helped plant trees to ensure the forest has a diverse mixture of tree species that is more resilient to pests, disease and the effects of climate change.