Trodds Copse

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Trodds Copse
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Hampshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Hampshire
Area of Search Hampshire
Grid reference SU417224
Coordinates 50°59′55″N1°24′22″W / 50.99858°N 1.40612°W / 50.99858; -1.40612 Coordinates: 50°59′55″N1°24′22″W / 50.99858°N 1.40612°W / 50.99858; -1.40612
InterestBiological
Area25.23 hectares
Notification 1989

Trodds Copse (grid reference SU417224 ) is a 25.23 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in central Hampshire, notified in 1989. It comprises ancient semi-natural woodland, unimproved meadows and flushes. [1]

Ordnance Survey National Grid System of geographic grid references used in Great Britain

The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude. It is often called British National Grid (BNG).

Hectare Metric unit of area

The hectare is an SI accepted metric system unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides, or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is about 0.405 hectare and one hectare contains about 2.47 acres.

Site of Special Scientific Interest Conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation. The acronym "SSSI" is often pronounced "triple-S I".

Contents

Location

The copse is situated to the north-west of Chandler's Ford between Flexford Road and Hook Road and adjoins the Eastleigh to Romsey railway line.

Chandlers Ford largely residential area and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England

Chandler's Ford (originally The Ford and historically Chandlersford is a largely residential area and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England, with a population of 21,436 in the 2011 UK Census.

Description

The citation for the SSSI says:

Trodds Copse Site of Special Scientific Interest comprises ancient semi-natural woodland, unimproved meadows and flushes overlying Bracklesham Beds, Bagshot Sand, peat and alluvium. The habitats are drained by tributaries of the Monks Brook, a branch of the River Itchen. The diverse geology and varied drainage conditions give rise to a wide range of habitats. At least ten woodland types can be identified, of which four are considered nationally rare. The diversity of woodland types is matched by an extremely rich ground flora. The antiquity of the woodlands is reflected in the very high number of ancient woodland indicator species recorded within the site. Over fifty such species occur, including a number of rare or local plants such as tutsan ( Hypericum androsaemum ) making it one of the botanically richest woods in Hampshire. [1]

In geology, the Bagshot Beds are a series of sands and clays of shallow-water origin, some being fresh-water, some marine. They belong to the upper Eocene formation of the London and Hampshire basins, in England and derive their name from Bagshot Heath in Surrey. They are also well developed in Hampshire, Berkshire and the Isle of Wight. The following divisions are generally accepted:

Peat Accumulation of partially decayed vegetation

Peat, also known as turf, is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet, because peatland plants capture CO2 naturally released from the peat, maintaining an equilibrium. In natural peatlands, the "annual rate of biomass production is greater than the rate of decomposition", but it takes "thousands of years for peatlands to develop the deposits of 1.5 to 2.3 m [4.9 to 7.5 ft], which is the average depth of the boreal [northern] peatlands". Sphagnum moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat, although many other plants can contribute. The biological features of Sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat aiding peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. Soils consisting primarily of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of decomposition.

Alluvium Loose soil or sediment that is eroded and redeposited in a non-marine setting

Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediment that has been eroded, reshaped by water in some form, and redeposited in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel. When this loose alluvial material is deposited or cemented into a lithological unit, or lithified, it is called an alluvial deposit.

History

Trodds Copse and surrounding land has been well documented since the late 16th century. The whole site was enclosed from common land prior to 1588 and woodland boundary banks can be clearly discerned. Some areas were managed as wood pasture but by the early 19th century this practice had ceased, the land being converted to pasture or coppice woodland.

Pasture land used for grazing

Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs. Pasture is typically grazed throughout the summer, in contrast to meadow which is ungrazed or used for grazing only after being mown to make hay for animal fodder. Pasture in a wider sense additionally includes rangelands, other unenclosed pastoral systems, and land types used by wild animals for grazing or browsing.

The site is threatened by the north-westerly expansion of Chandler's Ford. In 1990, a planning application to build 200 houses and a golf course at neighbouring Broadgate Farm, Ampfield was refused as it "would result in the destruction of part of the Trodds Copse Countryside Heritage Site". [2]

Ampfield village in the United Kingdom

Ampfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Test Valley in Hampshire, England, between Romsey, Eastleigh, and Winchester. It had a population at the 2001 census of 1,474, increasing to 1,583 at the 2011 Census.

Flora

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium Chrysosplenium oppositifolium 240405b.jpg
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium

Among the many tree and plant species found at Trodds Copse are: [1]

Caltha palustris Caltha palustris.jpg
Caltha palustris
Lamiastrum galeobdolon Galeobdolon luteum0.jpg
Lamiastrum galeobdolon

Fauna

Phasia hemiptera Phasia hemiptera.jpg
Phasia hemiptera

The wide range of habitats is reflected by the diverse invertebrate fauna present within the site, including: [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Trodds Copse SSSI – Notification details" (PDF). Natural England. 1990. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Planning Appeal Decision - Broadgate Farm and Trodds Copse, Ampfield". Hampshire County Council. 9 April 1990. Archived from the original on November 11, 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Newsletter of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Widllife Trust’s Flora Group: Autumn 2006
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