Gosbeck Wood

Also within

Suffolk County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Description Gosbeck Wood is an ancient coppice with standards site with small additions of well established secondary woodland. It lies on a plateau of calcareous boulder clay soils with pockets of sand. The wood contains a complex mosaic of stand types and is a good example of the type of ancient woodlands found in central Suffolk. The ground flora is typical of woods of this type and locality and includes several uncommon species. The main tree communities present are wet ash maple woodland, pedunculate oak hazel ash woodland and lowland hazel pedunculate oak woodland. There is also a small area of pedunculate oak hornbeam woodland and numerous clones of aspen Populus tremula. Giant coppice stools are evidence of a long tradition of coppice management which has recently been re-introduced after a period of neglect. Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis is generally dominant but tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa, creeping soft grass Holcus mollis and bramble Rubus spp. are locally abundant as is ivy Hedera helix in the area of secondary woodland. Notable species include spurge laurel Daphne laureola, wood spruge Euphorbia amygdaloides, herb paris Paris quadrifolia and hairy woodrush Luzula pilosa. The woodland rides are at present narrow and overshadowed, but meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria and a few other grassland species persist on them.

Species mentioned