Little Hyden Woods

About

About the woods

Although many people think of the woodland as wild wood it has in fact been managed for may hundreds if not thousands of years. From archaeological features found in the woodland it looks as if it may have been used as farmland in the Bronze or Iron Ages meaning that this is secondary woodland, probably dating from as late as Saxon times. For more information on the history and archaeology of Bluebell Wood click on link to the left of your screen.

As part of the management of the wood, Wesnet Services Ltd in conjunction with the Bluebell Wood Volunteer Group have been carrying out a flora survey. This has revealed that there are at least 40 Ancient Woodland Vascular Plant (AWVP) species present. The presence of these plants indicates the age of a woodland; the more plants on the AWVP list the older the woodland. The considered opinion of the experts is if you have more than 20 the woodland is extremely old and important to the local landscape.

Using the information gained from both the plant survey and other surveys, the following management objectives for the woodland have been set.

  • Conservation
  • Sustainable timber production
  • Amenity

If you visit the woods please remember it is woodland under threat not from development, but from human pressure so please keep to the paths and help the woods to stay looking good for the future.

About - the owners

We are a local family with an interest woodland and conservation.

We have known Bluebell Wood for over 20 years and have spent many happy hours walking round it in that time.

In April 2003 we had the chance to purchase the woodland. In doing so we stopped the previous owner selling it off in small lots. Since this time we have been trying to find out more about the history and archaeology of the woods, as well as the ecology.

We are managing the woodland through our company Wesnet services Ltd. This means that we are able to manage the woodland in a much more sustainable manner. We intend to manage the woodland for the following objectives:

  • Conservation
  • Sustainable timber production
  • Amenity

In the 30-40 years we have known the woodland we had seen it fall further and further into decay, we hope by managing the woodland we can return it to its past glory and curb a trend in this part of Hampshire of woodland falling apart. We are also keeping ancient trades going like coppicing and hedge laying.