A planting event hosted by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust was held at the end of January to kickstart a major tree planting programme at Great Wood, an ancient woodland which covers 175 acres near Grittenham in North Wiltshire.

Ancient woodland now covers just 2.5% of the country, whilst only 8% of Wiltshire is wooded. Great Wood is one of the 20 largest ancient woodlands in the county, so protecting it for nature was a priority for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust when the conservation charity purchased the woodland in early 2023, saving it from more harmful commercial management or piecemeal ownership. The wood includes probably the largest remaining stand of wild service trees in the country as well as fantastic stands of oak, with some trees more than 200 years old.

At the event, staff and trustees of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust were joined by board members of primary funder Biffa Award including Chair Stewart Goshawk, local MP, James Grey, The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Victoria Nye, alongside major donors who contributed generously to the Trust’s appeal to save Great Wood in 2023 and other key stakeholders. The group had a superb time planting rowan and cherry trees and learning about the progress that has been made to aid nature’s recovery at Great Wood to date as well as future plans.

The tree planting programme is part of a much wider project to restore Great Wood to its former glory, which commenced in autumn 2023 and will create substantial benefits for wildlife and people.

The Trust is replacing large swathes of conifers, which do not support much wildlife or floral diversity, with a mix of native broadleaf trees such as rowan and witch elm, creating new woodland glades and providing more space for the rare wild service trees to flourish.

Full ecological surveys have been carried out at Great Wood for the first time in decades, resulting in a number of exciting discoveries, such as brown hairstreak butterfly eggs, which could be the first time the brown hairstreak has been found in North Wiltshire south of the M4. 

The wood holds huge potential for nature’s recovery, with the chance to bring back nightingales, nightjars, purple emperor butterflies – and even a possible reintroduction of wood white butterflies, which are absent from Wiltshire.

With the help of volunteers, the Trust has also begun removing invasive plants to improve the health of the woodland by encouraging fresh growth. By widening rides and providing a more diverse understorey of plants on the woodland’s margins, more wildlife that prefers habitat at the edge of woodland will be attracted. More light reaching the woodland floor will also enable huge carpets of bluebells to bloom again.

The purchase and restoration of Great Wood has been made possible thanks to a generous grant from Biffa Award through the Landfill Communities Fund, a major contribution from the Underwood Trust, the generosity of major donors and all those who have donated to the Trust’s Great Wood appeal.

This year, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is making a fresh call for appeal donations to raise an additional £30,000 to unlock Great Wood’s full potential for wildlife and people. Whilst a lot has already been achieved for nature’s recovery, the Trust’s work to date has revealed more can be done with your help.