About the Warwickshire Woodlands

The Warwickshire Woodlands forest plan area consists of five woodlands in Warwickshire: Oversley, May's Wood, Hay Wood, Weston Wood and Waverley Wood. Together these cover just under 340 hectares. The forest block is divided by the M40 motorway, with Oversley and May’s Wood lying to the south and west and the other three woods to the north and east.

All five of the woodlands are classed as plantations on ancient woodland sites {PAWS), so since the early 2000s, there has been a general movement towards the removal of conifers and an increase in broadleaves. May’s Wood, Hay Wood and Waverley Wood are now approximately half and half conifers and broadleaves, whereas Oversley is two-thirds broadleaf, and Weston Wood almost entirely broadleaf. 

Oversley, Hay Wood and Weston Wood are freehold, meaning that they are open to the public, whereas May’s Wood and Waverley Wood are leasehold, with no public right of access. There are a few public footpaths and bridleways within and adjacent to the woods.

There is a small, but active volunteer group in Oversley (the Friends of Oversley Wood) – they carry out regular litter picks as well as practical tasks such as tree planting and pond clearance. Butterfly Conservation volunteers work in all of our Warwickshire Woodlands – clearing vegetation from ridesides for the benefit of butterflies, moths and other invertebrates, and recording sightings of species of interest.

The Warwickshire Woodlands contain a diverse range of habitats, including woodland of various ages, open space, ponds and dead wood, which provide homes and food for many species of animals, birds, plants and fungi. There are no scheduled heritage features in the Warwickshire Woodlands, but there are a number of woodbanks, earthbanks and ditches, as well as evidence of ancient woodland management practices such as coppicing. There are some quite important oak provenance trial research plots in Weston Wood, which are managed by Forest Research.

Our vision for the Warwickshire Woodlands

Through our active, carefully considered management, and the continued process of PAWS restoration, it's our vision that the Warwickshire Woodlands will generate a sustainable source of timber. This will be mainly from conifers at first, and from productive broadleaf crops in later decades. Alongside timber production, our vision includes the woodlands providing a wealth of other services, including space for people to enjoy, and places for biodiversity to flourish.

What we'll do

In order to restore ancient woodland, we will carry out small-scale conifer clearfells and regular thinning, replacing felled trees with native broadleaves, with a focus on creating resilient mixtures that will thrive under anticipated future climatic conditions.

We will monitor and manage open space and ponds so that they continue to provide valuable wildlife habitats. Heritage features, trees of special interest and sightings of European protected species such as great crested newt will be marked on our GIS system and protected during forest operations. 

We will continue to welcome responsible visitors to the Warwickshire Woodlands and to work with our wonderful volunteers.