Stocking Spring Wood
Nestling amongst the wooded estates of central Hertfordshire, this small wood is a beautiful example of traditional coppice management and its value to wildlife.
Coppiced hornbeam woodlands were once typical of Hertfordshire. At Stocking Springs Wood gnarled and twisted trees, previously coppiced, throw a dense shade. Recently coppiced trees can also be seen and here the light can get to the ground, encouraging many wildflowers. The wood is divided into sections which are coppiced in a traditional rotation system so that each tree is coppiced once every sixteen years. In spring the woodland floor is a carpet of bluebells and wild daffodils. Other plants such as wood anenome, wood violets, early purple orchids and yellow archangel indicate that this is an ancient woodland. Among the coppiced hornbeam there are tall oak standards and these provide nesting sites for birds such as the nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker and treecreepers, among many others.
The Trust manages the wood in agreement with the owners.
The management regime is designed to encourage diversity of species. In order to conserve the important
ground flora, traditional coppice management was re-established by the Trust in 1989 on a sixteen year rotation.
