Woodland Story

The Wye Valley AONB is an area with a lot of woodland. Nearly half of all the AONB land between Goodrich Castle and Chepstow Castle is covered in woodland. That’s a lot of woodland to get out and explore.

What are woods?
Woods, and the trees within them are essential part of life on our planet. They benefit both people and wildlife. Their roots grow down and hold the soil in place, they produce oxygen they store carbon, they provide homes for a huge variety of wildlife,  we take timber from them for a range of uses and importantly they provide magical breathing spaces that fire our imaginations. How many woodland stories can you think of?...’Little Red Riding Hood’… 

What kind of woodland is it?
It’s very special, and is one of the best examples of ravine woodland remaining in Europe. Much of this woodland is referred to as ancient semi-natural woodland. This means the woodland has been growing on undisturbed soil since the last ice age 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. Ancient semi- natural woodland is broadleaved woodland, which means the trees lose their leaves in the autumn and are a rich mix of  ash, beech, lime, oak and birch to name the easily recognised tree. The UK has around 50 native treesand shrubs. Take a challenge and become familiar with some of them.Take a trip to a Wye Valley Hidden Gem and explore the woodland treasure. You can take this downloadable sheet to help you identify the trees you see.

There is a wealth of further downloadable materials on the Nature Detectives site

which you can use to make the most of your visit to a Wye Valley woodland. So what are you waiting for, get down to the woods today.