Woodland Conservation - SHWWP

Oxleas Wood - The Ride

Saturday, 11th July, 2026

We had another good turnout of 12 volunteers on Saturday for our monthly SHWWP session. Not only did we have a group of our regular volunteers and a couple of old-timers, but we were delighted to welcome two new, equally-enthusiastic volunteers to our happy troop.

While it was another stifling-hot day, Oxleas Wood was probably quite a bit cooler than most places, beneath the dappled shade of the trees.  The woods themselves were, according to one regular volunteer 'eerily quiet with very little birdsong' and there were far fewer walkers than usual.

Fallen trees are left as close to where they grew as possible - useful when preparing posts!

This session, volunteers concentrated on removing light-shading trees and shrubs, such as cherry laurel, rhododendron and holly from the areas surrounding the main ride. As usual, in this Site of Special Scientific Interest, all materials cut down remain in the woods, close to the area in which they stood.

Again, they were used to top up and extend the dead hedge protecting the stream and habitat around it.  This will reduce compaction and erosion and help improve ground and mid-layer vegetation, while the nutrients in the rotted down waste will be returned to the woodland floor too.

Dead hedging protects sensitive areas, acts as habitat and provides safe corridors for woodland creatures.

Thank you to everyone who worked in the heat to protect the woodlands.

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