Gamlingay Wood

A Sorbus torminalis (Wild Service tree) in Gamlingay Wood

Gamlingay Wood is 46 ha (114 acres) of woodland managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough.[1] It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1955.[2] It was listed in the Domesday Book and appears to have been woodland for at least 1000 years. However during the 20th century, much of the wood was felled and planted with a mix of oak and conifers. Under the Wildlife Trust's management the conifers are being harvested, to allow native trees to regenerate. For example, in 1999 300 tons of conifer timber was removed from one of the compartments.[3] Alongside Gamlingay Wood new plantings have been made in Sugley Wood since its acquisition in 2002, as part of a project to create a South Cambridgeshire forest.[1]

The renowned botanist Professor Oliver Rackham described Gamlingay Wood as "the best-documented historic wood in the country".[4] This was largely because the wood had belonged to Merton College, Oxford for 650 years, and they had kept excellent records.

The wood lies north of the village of Gamlingay and south-west of Waresley in the county of Cambridgeshire.

References

  1. 1 2 Wildlife Trust: Gamlingay Wood
  2. ↑ Natural England
  3. ↑ Wildlife Trust leaflet
  4. ↑ Oliver Rackham, Woodlands (2006), p.514.

Coordinates: 52°09′54″N 0°11′10″W / 52.165°N 0.186°W / 52.165; -0.186

See also

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