Great Thrift Wood

Also within

Berkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Alluvium

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 13.9 hectares 34.3 ac Description A predominantly damp, ancient, coppiced woodland on Reading Beds and alluvium in the Thames valley near Maidenhead. Much of the site is on level ground and some areas are permanently waterlogged. A stream borders the north side of the wood. The site includes the remnants of Shrubbery Copse, a drier wood, most of which has been cleared for agriculture. No conifers are present and the lack of any tree planting in the past has allowed the native species to establish a near natural distribution in relation to soils and drainage. great thrift Wood displays a varied and relatively undisturbed stand structure with a rich shrub and ground flora, all indicating a very long continuity of woodland cover. The woodland is important for its representation of five semi natural stand types. The most characteristic is oak/hazel/ash woodland consisting of hazel and ash coppice under oak and ash standards of varying age. Other areas are dominated by stands of coppiced alder with grey and crack willows Salix cinerea and S. fragilis, ash and oak. Birch, aspen Populus tremula and alder buckthorn Frangula alnus are locally frequent. Field maple Acer campestre occurs mainly on boundaries and banks. The rare wild service tree Sorbus torminalis is present in small quantity with a particularly fine specimen in Shrubbery Copse. The ground flora, although largely dominated by bramble Rubus fruticosus agg., contains many species characteristic of ancient woodland, such as enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum and goldilocks Ranunculus auricomus. The wetter areas are locally dominated by lesser pond sedge Carex acutiformis and contain many other moisture loving plants such as yellow flag Iris pseudacorus, valerian Valeriana officinalis, ragged-robin Silene flos-cuculi, water mint Mentha aquatica and two grasses often found together on wood stream sides giant fescue Schedonorus giganteus and bearded couch Elymus caninus.

Species mentioned

Plant communities