WPG Management Plan Oxhey Woods Date (from/to) April 2012 April 2017 Date of last review June 2006 [UKWAS 2.1.3] Owner/tenant Three Rivers District Council Agent/contact Julie Hughes Principal Landscape Officer Signed declaration of tenure rights and agreements to public availability of the plan [UKWAS 1.1.3/1.1.5/2.1.2] ______________________________________________________________________ WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 1 Woodland Management Plan 1 Background information 1.1 Location Nearest town, village or feature Watford Grid reference TQ 107 925 Total area (ha) 97.7 ha 1.2 Description of the woodland(s) in the landscape Oxhey Woods are a collection of ancient and secondary woods now forming a single unit on the edge of Greater London. At 97.7 ha. It is a significant part of the local landscape and is visually prominent from both surrounding homes and roads. The Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment describes the woods as “An Oasis of woodland in the middle of suburbia” and is surrounded largely by housing as well as two schools, bar on its southern edge, which is a golf course. The wood is divided into three main compartments by two public roads. The wood itself lies between 83 and 130 m rising to the west and south with the southern half sloping east and the northern half sloping north and is part of a very wooded mix of housing, woodland and fields which make up this corner of North –West London and East Hertfordshire bounded to the west and north by the river Colne. 1.3 History of Management Oxhey Woods has a complex past being a mix of ancient semi natural woodlands (ASNW) with varying ages of plantation and secondary woodlands which is reflected in the stand types visible today. For many areas particularly the ASNW areas coppice was the main form of historical management with hornbeam, hazel, ash and sweet chestnut areas still apparent. High forest dominated by oak was also appears to have been a significant form of management and here and there conifer has been planted perhaps as a nurse crop with broadleaves. Some areas may also have been wood pasture as is the case with other Hertfordshire Woodlands such as Northaw Great Wood. As with most largely broadleaved woodlands in the south after the second world war, active management declined with the most significant occurrences being the loss of parts of the wood to housing and the proposal to build a major road through the woods. As a result of the road proposal most of the mature trees along the proposed route were felled between 1945 and 1948 along a diagonal line from the eastern boundary of compartment (cpt.) 2 to the north western boundary of cpt. 3. In 1949 the wood was bought from private ownership by the Greater London Council from whence it passed into the hands of Three Rivers District Council. ______________________________________________________________________ WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 2 Woodland Management Plan Recent management has been focused on access with ride work and interpretation. Some Rhododendron Ponticum which dominates areas of cpt.3 has been cleared and some cleaning of oak and beech regeneration has taken place. Ponds have been restored/created and in compartment (cpt.1) a small area has been opened up to foster heather and a surfaced ride is being put in. Generally some pedestrian entrances have been improved. 2 Woodland Information 2.1 Areas and features Designated Areas Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Special areas for conservation (SACs) Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Ramsar Sites (see note on Guidance) National Nature Reserves (NNRs) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) Other designations (e.g. National Park (NP) / World Heritage Site) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) TPO / Conservation Area (CA) Details : Oxhey Wood is an LNR and Grade A site of County Importance Rare and important species Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Red Data Book or BAP species Rare, threatened, EPS or SAP species √ Details: Whilst there is little recent objective survey work the following protected species have been recorded in the recent past. Bats: Pipistrelle, , Noctule and Brown Long Eared Bat were recorded in 1997 Badgers (definitely present currently) Floristically Oxhey Wood is rich with 446 species of plants recorded in G.H.Harper’s survey from 1980. Of particular note is a significant population of wild service trees which may be the largest in Hertfordshire and the remains of a more heath environment including heather. Important flora noted includes thin spiked wood sedge, pill sedge, scaly male fern, southern wood rush and soft shield fern. The HMWC Ecological Assessment if 2009 does not note any particularly unusual species of bird or mammals. ______________________________________________________________________ WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 3 Woodland Management Plan Habitats Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW) √ √ Other semi-natural woodland Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) Semi-natural features in PAWS Woodland margins and hedges √ Veteran and other notable trees √ Breeding sites √ Habitats of notable species Unimproved grasslands Rides and open ground √ Valuable wildlife communities √ Feeding area √ Lowland heath √ Peatlands Others Details: Large areas of the Woods are classified as ASNW Remaining areas are secondary woodland of varying age. Some boundary features are left for example boundary stubbs. Mature and veteran trees are present especially in the ASNW areas. EPS species such as badger, and bat species are present and breeding on site Rides are present (see map 1) and there are considerable open areas Relics of heath flora are present. Oxheys Wood is an important Herts. site for mosses and liverworts. Notable plant species include: wood sedge, pill sedge, scaley male fern, southern wood rush and soft shield fern. Water Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Watercourses √ Lakes Ponds √ Wetland habitats √ Details: The wood contains numerous small stream streams (see map 1) mostly seasonal. The wood contained some 15 ponds although most are now silted up and overgrown. There numerous wet poorly drained areas alongside streams. Landscape Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. ______________________________________________________________________ WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 4 Woodland Management Plan Landscape designated areas Landscape features Rock exposures Historic landscapes √ Areas of the woodland prominent from roads √ Areas of the woodland prominent from settlements Details: The wood is prominent from immediately adjacent settlements and roads. Cultural features Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Public rights of way Prominent viewing points Existing permissive footpaths √ √ Proposed permissive footpaths Areas managed with traditional management √ systems Details: There are no public rights of way within Oxhey Woods; however there are numerous permissive paths and desire lines throughout the wood. Three routes are promoted through the wood and there is also a section of the London Loop There is a permissive horse ride through the south of the wood There is a gas pipeline running east-west at the southern end of the wood Much of the wood contains over stood coppice of hazel, hornbeam, ash, sweet chestnut and even oak. No areas are currently managed for coppice Archaeological Features Map In Woodland Adjacent to woodland No. Scheduled monument Historical feature (Inc. designed landscapes, registered parks and gardens) Other √ Details: 6) Indications of old field/wood boundaries and a section of well-preserved ancient track within the wood and a mound (possible barrow) in the Old Hangings section of the wood with a nearby major hollow way. The woodland edge is also marked in some places a large ditch and bank. See: Woodland Archaeological Features in Oxheys Wood, John Morris 2009 Herts.CC Monument Full Report 28/06/2011 ______________________________________________________________________ WPG MPTemplate V3.1 issued 11.06.22 | Grants & Regulations | 5 Woodland Management Plan 2.2 Woodland resource characteristics Amenity: Oxhey Woods has a high potential for both recreation and education by virtue of its location near urban settlements, structure size and characteristics. This is already realised via permissive access albeit underdeveloped Biodiversity: The Woods contain good structural diversity due to areas of ASNW and varying ages of secondary woodland. Grassland and heath areas are also present. This combined with an unusually large size for a suburban wood gives it a significant biodiversity potential. Timber: The wood contains a significant broadleaved resource especially as regards firewood and to a lesser extent saw logs especially oak. Volumes are hard to estimate and there is little point in mensuration as the difficulties and costs make it un-economic however, restoration work should be carried out with idea of producing loads of timber rather than un-economic amounts 2.3 Site description General Oxhey Woods consists of 97.8 ha. Of largely broadleaved woodland formed from a variety of ASNW and secondary woodlands together with open areas. The geology consists of pebble gravel on the higher areas to the south-west overlaying London Clay which comes to the surface on lower areas. Soils are slowly permeable and seasonally waterlogged. There are numerous issues and steams over the site most of which are seasonal. Many parts of the wood have been identified as being ASNW with other areas becoming afforested as far back as the eighteenth century. The most recent wood being to the east of cpt. 2 which has been turning into woodland from the midst of the last century. The older areas of the woodland fall into the Sessile Oak/Hornbeam and Sessile Oak/birch stand types typical of south Hertfordshire. Of particular note is the amount of wild service trees in the wood in particular in Nanscot Wood (Cpt 1 NW) and Old Hangings (Cpt.2 SE).