Princethorpe Woodlands (credit Mike McFarlane)
one of our county's most important habitats
This scheme focuses on two of the Trust's most important woodland nature reserves: Wappenbury Wood and Ryton Wood. Together, these two beautiful woods form part of the most significant concentration of ancient woodland left in Warwickshire today.
Reconnecting these woodlands through sympathetic land management, hedgerow and woodland creation will provide wildlife such as the wood white butterfly and dormouse with a greater area in which to colonise and breed.
Today, Warwickshire's native woodland cover is the lowest of any county in England, with only 1.5% of our land constituting ancient broadleaf woodland, making this one of our county's most important habitats. Many of our remaining woodlands are fragmented and isolated from each other.
Virtual tour by Mike McFarlane
What's happening?
The scheme will:
1) Reconnect the fragmented woodlands by creating wildlife corridors through planting hedgerows and thickening existing hedgerows. This will create a large area for wildlife to migrate across, and reduce the chance of isolated populations dying out.
2) Carry out essential woodland management work at our nature reserves - such as cutting of woodland rides (access routes) to benefit species such as the wood white butterfly and coppicing hazel which could encourage dormice to recolonise from neighbouring woodlands.
3) Construct new woodland extraction routes which will enable timber and fire wood to be extracted for the wood fuel market, so helping to ensure the sustainable future of these woodlands.
Start date: 2004
Scheme area: 7200 hectares
Trust reserves within the scheme
Wappenbury Wood and Ryton Wood
This scheme is helping species including...
Butterflies and Dormice
Current threats to the landscape
Habitat fragmentation and development
This scheme is also...
Helping wildlife adapt to climate change, improving access for people, providing recreational opportunities, encouraging green tourism, providing volunteering opportunities, skills training and environmental education.
Partners
Natural England, Forestry Commission, Butterfly Conservation, Woodland Trust, Local Authorities, local landowners, Smiths Concrete, Deer Initiative, Forest Enterprisers, PTES, Warwickshire Dormouse Conservation Group, BASC, Hanson Aggregates, Mercia Energy ltd., Smiths Concrete, West Midland Bird Club.
To find out more
Email: enquiries@wkwt.org.uk | Tel: 024 7630 2912 | Princethorpe Woodlands Living Landscape
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 Adam Cormack.JPG)