| Astonbury Wood | |
|---|---|
  Location in Hertfordshire | |
| Location | near Stevenage, Hertfordshire |
| OS grid | TL 276 212 |
| Coordinates | 51°52′29″N0°08′52″W / 51.87472°N 0.14778°W |
| Area | 54 hectares (130 acres) |
| Operated by | Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust |
| Designation | Local Wildlife Site |
| Website | www |
Astonbury Wood is a nature reserve of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is an ancient woodland, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. [1]
The 125-year lease of the wood, put up for sale by Hertfordshire County Council in 2020, was purchased after money was raised by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, and plans to protect the wood were begun in March 2023. [2] [3] Initial plans included a safety survey of trees and paths, ecological surveys, management planning to establish priorities, and planning signage and trails on the site. [4]
The wood, area 54 hectares (130 acres), was in existence by 1600, so is classed as ancient woodland; such woods are much rarer than they once were. Because of the flora and fauna which has developed over this time, the site is designated a Local Wildlife Site. The trees are mostly oak and hornbeam, and spring flowers include bluebell, primrose, wood anemone and dog's mercury. [1] The site is nationally recognised for fungi, of which many species have been identified. [4]
The Ancient Astonbury and Wilder Woodlands Project, funded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, was announced in April 2024, with the aim to restore and conserve Astonbury Wood and six other woods of the Trust: Balls Wood, Fir and Pond Woods, Gobions Wood, Old Park Wood, Long Deans and Hawkins Wood. Iain Ward, an officer of the project, said that it would "encourage the involvement of volunteers in their restoration and conservation.... A big part of it is to connect the community to Astonbury Wood, along with our other key woodland sites." [5]
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972.
Queen's Wood is a 52-acre area of ancient woodland in the London Borough of Haringey, abutting Highgate Wood and lying between East Finchley, Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End. It was originally part of the ancient Forest of Middlesex which covered much of London, Hertfordshire and Essex and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is now one of three Local Nature Reserves in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated a few minutes' walk from Highgate tube station.
Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood North is a 143.9-hectare (356-acre) woodland area in Hertfordshire which has been designated as a biological site of Special Scientific Interest. The site is listed as Grade 1 in A Nature Conservation Review, and is also designated a Special Area of Conservation. It is in Hoddesdon in the borough of Broxbourne, but part of the site is in East Hertfordshire.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust manages over 40 nature reserves covering nearly 810 hectares north of London, in Hertfordshire and the historic county of Middlesex, part of which is divided between the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Harrow and Hillingdon. It has over 21,000 members, and is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK. It is a Registered Charity, with its Registered Office in St Albans, and had an income in the year to 31 March 2014 of over £1.5 million.
Heartwood Forest is a planned forest in Hertfordshire, England. The site covers 347 hectares, the largest continuous new native forest in England.
Old Park Wood is a 16.7-hectare (41-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest in Harefield in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The south-east part is an 8-hectare (20-acre) nature reserve owned and managed by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Waterford Heath is a 35.2 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Waterford in Hertfordshire, England. It is owned by Lafarge Tarmac and managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust together with East Hertfordshire District Council and Lafarge.
Oughtonhead Common is a 17.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in the Westmill district of Hitchin, Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by North Hertfordshire District Council. and home to the Oughtonhead Common nature reserve.
Balls Wood is a 58.5-hectare (145-acre) nature reserve managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust in Hertford Heath in East Hertfordshire. The wood was purchased by the Trust from the Forestry Commission.
Hertford Heath nature reserve is a 28 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hertford Heath in Hertfordshire. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the local planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council.
Fox Covert is a 2.9-hectare (7.2-acre) nature reserve near Royston in North Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Pryor's Wood is an 8.7-hectare (21-acre) nature reserve in Great Ashby, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire. It was formerly managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT). In February 2016 HMWT announced that three sites, Barkway Chalk Pit, Hill End Pit and Pryor's Wood, which HMWT managed on behalf of their owner, North Hertfordshire District Council, were to return to Council management as the Trust was no longer able to meet the cost.
Stocking Springs Wood is a 1.1-hectare (2.7-acre) nature reserve between Ayot St Lawrence and Ayot St Peter in Welwyn Hatfield district in Hertfordshire. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Fir and Pond Woods is a 29 hectare nature reserve in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is two separate woods, with Fir Wood connected by a short footpath to the large Pond Wood to the south.
Barkway Chalk Pit is a small nature reserve in Barkway in North Hertfordshire. It was managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT). In February 2016 HMWT announced that three sites, Barkway Chalk Pit, Hill End Pit and Pryor's Wood, which HMWT managed on behalf of their owner, North Hertfordshire District Council, were to return to Council management as the Trust was no longer able to meet the cost.
Gobions Wood is a 36 hectare nature reserve managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust in Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire. The site was formerly owned by the Gobions Woodland Trust, a registered charity which was closed down in 2013 because it had ceased to exist.
Lemsford Springs is a 4 hectare nature reserve in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, England. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, which purchased the site in 1970. Notable for its lagoons, the site is in the Lea valley and its other habitats are meadow, hedgerows, marsh and willow woodland. The spring feeds the nearby River Lea.
Danemead is a 5.6-hectare nature reserve west of Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood North Site of Special Scientific Interest.