|
The Forest of Leeds |
|
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
CASTLE HILLS & HIGHROYDS WOODS
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
Description :
For simplicity, these two adjoining woodlands are regarded as one. Composed of
predominantly even-aged stands of larch,
beech and
pine planted as a commercial crop
in the 1960s, with a substantial area of ancient hazel and ash
coppice (Highroyds).
The woods received their first thinning in 1996. This and subsequent thinnings will
gradually remove the commercial crop to facilitate the recovery of the regenerating
indigenous broadleaved species.
In 1995 work began on restoring a management cycle to 6 hectares of stored coppice in Highroyds Wood, involving the cutting of a ½ hectare per year on a 12 year rotation. To date most of this produce has been used to make charcoal, although other end uses have included hurdles, walking sticks and rustic garden furniture. The ground flora in both woods is rich and varied, particularly in the old coppice coups, earning the site its Site of Ecological and Geological Importance (SEGI) status. Access and facilities : Full pedestrian access, including a Public Right of Way (footpath). |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
