Weston Big Wood

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone

Description

Area, 37.48 ha. 92.61 ac. Description Weston Big Wood is a fine example of mixed deciduous woodland, with a rich variety of plant species. It occupies largely uncultivatable land in 2 parishes and its shape, name, the heterogeneous structure of the oaks, the presence of ancient woodland indicator species, together with historical records of the site, all suggest that it is the remnant of an ancient forest. The site occupies the plateau and steeply sloping flanks or a narrow ridge of Carboniferous Limestone and has well drained soils of calcareous to mildly acidic clay loams, overlying a layer of limestone fragments. The tree layer is dominated by pedunculate oak, which occurs as open canopy mature standards, together with coppice and maiden ash. There are discrete blocks containing abundant wild cherry, wych elm and lime. Trees of particular interest include the ancient woodland indicators small leaved lime Tilia cordata and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis both of which are locally abundant, the rare whitebeams Sorbus rupicola and S. eminens and a hybrid between common whitebeam and wild service Aelia ´ torminalis. The ground flora includes two colonies of the Red Data book species, purple gromwell Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum.

Species mentioned