January 2026 Update
Sheep Grazing
Seven Beulah sheep were brought in to graze Sherwood Oaks Field on 15th January. The sheep are owned by the Downlands Partnership and they will help to reduce the fertility of the Field as part of a long term project to encourage it to revert to Chalk Grassland. The Field is also mown once a year in October to discourage bramble and other tough plants which the sheep tend to ignore. The progress of the grazing regime is regularly monitored by Friends of Foxley, the Downlands Partnership and Natural England.
Coppicing
We hope to complete coppicing the latest hazel coupe before the start of spring and the birds begin nesting. The benefits of coppicing are now widely appreciated and the areas coppiced over the last few years have greatly contributed to the biodiversity of the Wood. Occasionally we have to fell trees to let more light into the coppiced areas, but only when there is no alternative. These are often Ash trees, and on the majority of occasions they are suffering from Ash Dieback and would have to have been felled in any case. We often bring in corporate groups or childrens’ groups (Cubs, Brownies etc) to carry out the planting of new trees in the coppiced areas..
Path surfacing
There are several areas along the Top Path which become waterlogged in heavy rain or present trip hazards and therefore need to be resurfaced. This will make the paths easier to walk in damp conditions and will allow safer access for vehicles which need to enter the Wood to bring in heavy tools and machinery. Resurfacing is an expensive business so whenever possible we apply for a grant to finance the process. We hope to carry out this work in the summer.
Elm Trees
The Friends have recently purchased 20 cultivars of Dutch Elm Disease resistant Elm trees in the hope of establishing the Elm in Foxley Wood. Not only is the Elm a beautiful tree but it is also host to the White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly which is a UK Biodiversity Plan Priority Species and listed as Vulnerable on the GB Red List due to severe declines. The butterfly is found locally however, and eggs of the species have been found on Wych Elms in Sherwood Oaks Field.
Scrapes and Inversion Bed
It is now 6 years since the 3 scrapes on the Bottom Path and the Inversion Bed next to the playground in the Rec were excavated (see my article of 6th April 2022). This was a joint project between Friends of Foxley and Butterfly Conservation. They are carefully maintained and we’ve been rewarded but the appearance of Cowslips and other wild flowers and by sightings of two butterfly species which hadn’t been recorded in the Nature Reserve/Recreation Ground before. They are the Brown Argus and the Green Hairstreak (see photo). The latter is a widespread but elusive species and was seen on the Inversion Bed last May, These new sightings mean that 28 species of butterfly have been recorded in the Nature Reserve since 2015. This represents about half the total number of species on the UK list, which illustrates the enormous diversity present in such a small area.
Split logs
There are many Ash trees in the Wood which have fallen or have had to be felled as a result of Ash Dieback. The wood is split and seasoned for two years under cover before it’s cut and split again for firewood. We encourage a £7 per bag donation and the proceeds are used by the Friends to pay for training courses, buying tools etc.