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Welcome to

Short Wood Welcome to

Short Wood

This 24.5 hectare (60.4acre) reserve wasbought by the Trust in1974, to save it frombeing cleared foragriculture.

Short Wood is afragment of the ancientRockingham Forest.A number of interestingtrees and shrubs arefound within the wood,including dogwood, spindletree, wayfaring tree, wildservice tree and guelder rose.The regrowth in coppice formsa valuable habitat supporting a wide range offlora and fauna. Areas of ash poles and oakstandards in the wood are being thinned toencourage their development to high forest. TheTrust is opening up some of the rides to developthem as wildlife habitats.

AccessThe Trust is managingthe wood to improve itsoverall wildlife interest. Access is via a bridlepath

leading from the roadbetween Glapthorn andSouthwick.

Please do not obstruct thegate when parking. Bring

stout footwear as the rides canbe very wet. Please follow thecountry code; keep to paths andkeep dogs on leads. Thank you.

How to find the reserveTake the road from Oundle to Southwick, afterpassing alongside Glapthorn village park in thelayby at the top of the hill before the water tower.A signpost directs you a field length along thefootpath to the wood.

More InformationYour local Wildlife Trust protects wildlife andcountryside for people to enjoy in Bedfordshire,Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire andPeterborough. We are a charity dependent onvoluntary contributions.

To contact us about this reserve or about how youcan support us please contact the ReservesManager, Lings House, Billing Lings, Northampton NN3 8BE, or telephone: 01604 405285. Email: northamptonshire@wildlifebcnp.org

To join the Wildlife Trust please contact the Membership Manager,The Wildlife Trust, The Manor House, Broad Street, Great Cambourne CB23 6DH or telephone: 01954 713500. E-mail: cambridgeshire@wildlifebcnp.org

This reserve is supported by

Great-spotted woodpecker

Wild service tree

We hope you enjoy your visit

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshireand Peterborough. Registered charity no: 1000412

Oundle local groupof the Wildlife Trust

Website: www.wildlifebcnp.org

CoppiceThe Trust is actively coppicing areas within thewood. This traditional practice of cutting shrubs,such as hazel and field maple, encourages thegrowth of new stems. These stems are cut on athirteen year rotation and are traditionallyused as thatching spars and hedgebinders. The Trust still usessome binders for hedgelaying. This practice allowsplenty of sunlightthrough to thewoodland floor,which encouragesmany woodlandplants andbutterflies.

Short route

Other paths

Track

Access point

CockshuttClose

ShortWood

DodhouseWood

HallWood

Track toroadsideaccess andSouthwick Wood

Path toGlapthornCow Pasture

0 100

metres

NN

Coppice

Key

Deciduous woodland

Open water

Long route

Woodland HistoryThis SSSI reserve consists of both primary andsecondary woodland. Primary woodlands are areaswhich have been wooded since at least medievaltimes and never been cleared for uses other thanwood or timber production. Secondary woodlandsare those which have been cleared for other uses,but have since become wooded.

Four distinct areas can be identified on this reserve,partly reflecting the history of the site. The oldnames for different areas of what is now known asShort Wood are; Dodhouse Wood (where ridge andfurrow shows that the land has previously beenploughed), Hall Wood (a mixed coppice of ash, hazeland field maple with some oak and ash standards),Cockshutt Close (now high forest type dominated bytall ash trees – once a grass area)and Short Wood proper (amixed coppice formerlycontaining an extensivearea of elm coppice).

FlowersThe ground florais dominated bybluebells anddog’s mercury.Other speciesinclude wood sorrel, primrose, wood speedwell, early purple orchid and wood melick.

BirdsBird studies have shown that 35 species breed inthe wood every year.These are mostly commonBritish species such as the robin, chaffinch, wren,blackbird, blue tit, willow warbler, great tit,blackcap and wood pigeon. Other breeding speciesinclude marsh tit, garden warbler, great-spottedwoodpecker, bullfinch, song thrush and nuthatch.

DeerThere are two species of deerfound on the site, muntjacand fallow deer both of whichhave been introduced intothis country. Due to theirlarge numbers in this areawe have had to fence thereserve to prevent seriousdamage to the coppicedtrees and ground flora. Wehave also constructed adeer leap which will allowsthem to leave the wood butprevents them from returning.

Coppice cycle Bluebell

Speckled wood

Primrose