Site Howe Wood (GB_FS_20)
Details
Source
Type
Origin, Collecting and Evaluation site
Coordinates precision
Site
Latitude
51.619 — 51°37'9 N
Longitude
-0.986 — 0°59'9 W
Geographical location
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland > Northern Europe > Europe
Altitude
217.0
Slope
10
Exposure
350
Topography
4 (micro-topography 1)
Environment type
Forest/woodland
Comment
Under management by The National Trust (conservation of historic sites) since 1946, originally a medieval royal park. The wider Watlington Hill site, including Howe wood, supports a mosaic of chalk downland, chalk scrub, mixed broadleaved and yew woodland habitats, with areas of leached and more acid grassland and scrub on the upper slopes. The site supports some of the most floristically diverse grassland in the Chilterns and is also notable for its lower plant flora and butterfly populations, with twenty species recorded. Accessed from minor road south from Christmas Common to B480, parking possible at house on Howe Wood side of the road between Lower Greenfield Farm and Greenfield. Permission to work must be requested from The National Trust.
Additional info
Exeptional event
Historical timber extraction, ongoing management
GCU code
NA
Indicator plants
Target species: Fagus sylvatica. Most common tree species: Fagus sylvatica. Other tree species: Yes: Fraxinus excelsior, Ilex aquifolium, & others.
Shade
No
Stand description
Age distribution: uneven. Stand structure: multiple layer.