Mappp.co - Aston Rowant Woods

Also within

Buckinghamshire County Oxfordshire County Chilterns Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (8)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
SU738973	—	Favourable	27.15	2011-06-15
SU738974	—	Favourable	16.64	2011-06-15
SU743975	—	Favourable	17.92	2021-06-03
SU748982	—	Favourable	39.04	2021-06-03
SU754988	—	Favourable	40.17	2021-06-03
SU756978	—	Favourable	19.94	2021-06-03
SU757975	—	Favourable	15.17	2021-06-03
SU762977	—	Favourable	33.83	2021-06-03

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area, 209.7 H A 518 ac Description The Aston Rowant Woods complex is of national importance as a large, unfragmented area of ancient semi natural woodland characteristic of the Chilterns scarp. The site consists of a series of contiguous areas of woodland on the chalk escarpment, plateau and dip slope of the Chilterns. Much of this site is ancient woodland and although parts have been modified by the planting of introduced trees and by sycamore invasion, an unusually wide range of semi natural woodland stand types occur, dominated by oak and beech. The rich flora includes no fewer than 52 species indicative of old woods. Over a hundred species of fungi are recorded. Paths, rides and glades are numerous and the presence of boggy hollows and standing and fallen dead timber provide diverse niches for invertebrates. Grove Wood is an escarpment woodland dominated by vigorous, even beech high forest with some low sycamore ash and tall ash wych elm coppice. Goat willow Salix caprea is common in wet sites, but the shrub layer is otherwise not prominent and in some places lacking altogether. Below gaps in the canopy the field layer is dominated by dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis. Upper Grove Wood lies on the clay with flints plateau and is dominated by oak with frequent ash and beech and, notably, some coppiced small leaved lime. The well developed field layer includes uncommon species such as herb paris Paris quadrifolia and green hellebore Helleborus viridis. Aston Wood forms a curving block on the plateau and north west facing escarpment. About two thirds consists of even aged beech high forest which is younger than that of Grove Wood, but a number of other trees share the canopy, especially ash and gean, but also oak, whitebeam, sycamore and hornbeam. Holly, hawthorn and elder form a sparse understorey with rowan and hazel coppice stools at the eastern end. The eastern third of Aston Wood is dominated by ash with oak and beech, the boundary bank being marked by three large stools of small leaved lime. Juniper Bank contains particularly diverse woodland including beech ash high forest derived from neglected coppice and stands of alder and field maple. One steep bank consists of mixed scrub and chalk grassland. Kingston Wood is mainly beech high forest on acidic clay with flints soils, containing frequent oak and occasional ash standards. Regeneration of beech, ash, bird cherry, willow and sycamore is taking place in the gaps. The scarp slope of Kingston Wood consists of an almost unbroken canopy of beech, as does Crowellhill Wood, some of whose beech is derived from coppice. The shrub and field layers are poorly developed in the heavily shaded conditions, although several notable species occur, including fly orchid Ophrys insectifera, violet helleborine Epipactis purpurata, narrow lipped helleborine E. leptochila and the rare lesser hairy brome grass Bromopsis benekenii. High Wood and Crowell Wood are situated on the dip slope and lie on a mixture of clay and chalk. Dense beech forest dominates both woods, with only occasional oak, ash and wild cherry. A sparse understorey of holly and elder is present in some places. The canopy is more open on the steeper chalk slopes where there is a diverse shrub layer and a field layer dominated by dog’s mercury and including wood barley Hordelymus europaeus and spurge laurel Daphne laureola.

Species mentioned

Show the 9 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status

English name search for this in other sites	Latin name search with Google	IUCN / Red List	Type	Family
lesser hairy brome	Bromopsis benekenii	LC	grass	poaceae
wood barley	Hordelymus europaeus	VU	grass	poaceae
violet helleborine	Epipactis purpurata	LC	herb	orchidaceae
green hellebore	Helleborus viridis	LC	herb	ranunculaceae
dog's mercury	Mercurialis perennis	LC	herb	euphorbiaceae
fly orchid	Ophrys insectifera	VU	herb	orchidaceae
herb paris	Paris quadrifolia	VU	herb	melanthiaceae
spurge laurel	Daphne laureola	LC	shrub	thymelaeaceae
goat willow	Salix caprea	LC	tree shrub	salicaceae

Plant communities

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Show 107 indicator species

Salix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Show 81 indicator species

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Show 49 indicator species

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas