Sherwood – a National Nature Reserve
Two hundred hectares of Sherwood Forest Country Park was given National Nature Reserve (NNR) Status in 2002.
The patchwork of woodland, heathland and grassland habitats that make up the NNR require careful management in order to ensure their survival as the last fragments of the once much larger Sherwood Forest. The NNR is particularly notable for its high density of ancient oak trees, the survival of which is of great importance. Many rare animals are associated with the ancient oaks, and depend upon dead wood to survive, so fallen trees and branches are deliberately left to decay where they fall. The standing dead oaks are also very important.
In parts of the wood, the ancient oaks have become surrounded by invasive trees such as pine, beech and sycamore. Over time, these undesirable species are being removed, allowing young native oaks and birch to regenerate naturally, and giving the ancient trees a second lease of life.
The open heathland and grassland areas within the NNR also require management, with scrub and bracken being controlled in order to keep the habitat suitable for wildlife. This task is now being undertaken by longhorn cattle, which are continuing the long tradition of grazing animals in the forest.
Wildlife
The forest is dominated by the native sessile oak and pedunculate oak, which occur in great numbers, along with other native trees such as silver birch, rowan, holly and hawthorn. Scattered across the forest are more than 1000 large oaks, most of which are known to be more than 500 years old. The most famous of these ‘veteran’ trees is the Major Oak, the largest of the old trees, thought to be over 800 years old.
These giants of the forest are host to many species of wildlife which live only in the hollow trunks, rotten wood and decaying bark of these trees. Over 1000 species of beetle and spider have been found at the site, many of which are rare and depend on these old trees for their survival.
Autumn in the forest reveals a rich community of fungi, with over 200 different species recorded on the trees and on the woodland floor. Many animals also depend on the old trees, including birds such as the great spotted woodpecker, tawny owl and redstart, and a number of bat species.
Another bird, the nightjar, can be heard ‘churring’ eerily across the forest glades at dusk during the summer, whilst the tussocky grass-dominated heaths are particularly important for ants and spiders and are favoured feeding areas for green woodpeckers.
