Wykeham Forest
Wykeham Forest is a woodland of 2,755 acres, six miles broad in the North York Moors National Park, near to Wykeham, west of Scarborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
The wood is a mixture of conifer and broadleaf trees, with some open ground and a Forestry Commission nursery. The wood was planted in stages between 1924 and 1987, with open land being purchased by the commission. Recreational activities such as walking, bicycling and horse-riding are undertaken in the forest.
History
Wykeham Forest spread across the Tabular Hills, six miles west of Scarborough.[1][2] The forest was developed from the 1920s onwards, as part of the Allerston Forest programme, which included Dalby Forest, Bickley Forest and Staindale Forest. The all-encompassing name of Allerston Forest was decided upon as when it was first surveyed, the works party stayed in the village of Allerston.[3] At its peak in 1951, the forest at Wykeham covered 3,800.0 acres (1,537.8 ha),[3] but by 2017, this had been reduced to 2,755.2 acres (1,115.0 ha).[4] The land ranges from 500 feet to 800 feet above sea level, with an average of 656 feet.[5]
In 2016, conifer coverage within the forest was 764 acres, which is expected to fall to 714 acres by 2066. Conversely, broadleaf coverage is expected to increase during the same time period from 167 acre to 283 acres.[6]
During the Second World War, a labour shortage led to and Italian Prisoners of War being used in the planting programme. The PoWs were given accommodation in Thornton Dale and transported into the forest by lorry.[7] In 1950, a large portion of the eastern side of the forest covering thirty acres was designated a site of special scientific interest. The wood, known as Cockrah Wood, overlooks the River Derwent and is noted for its habitats of may lilies.[8] Besides the SSSI, Moor Dike, an ancient earthwork extends across the forest, and three round barrows dated to the Late Bronze Age are within the forest.[9][10] The earthworks extend down the two main small dales that drain the forest to the south; Bee Dale and Yedman's Dale.[11] Water from the forest finds its way south to be drained by the River Derwent, with the river also forming an eastern edge to the forest.[5] In 1952, the North York Moors National Park was designated, and Wykeham Forest is wholly within the park.[12]
In the 2000s, timber logging at Wykeham Forest yielded around 5,000 tons a year.[13] In 2003, many of the rabbit warrens in the forest were listed as scheduled monuments. The warrens were a managed system of bred rabbits which supplied pelts to the London millinery trade.[14]
Coniferous trees make up 68% of the forest (22% of which are Larch trees), and broadleaf trees cover 14.9% of the forest.[15] Sitka spruce trees were increased in number and area from 16% of the forest in 2002, to 19% in 2017. This was due to the sitka species being unaffected by deer browsing in comparison to other conifer species.[16] In March 2021, it was announced that the nursery at Wykeham Forest, one of the largest of its kind in England,[17] would be closed by April 2022, and all seed operations would be transferred to another Forestry Commission site at Delamere in Cheshire.[18] The closure announcement led to an early day motion being tabled in Parliament, asking the government to intervene and stop the closure.[19][20]
Recreation
Some minor roads are present at the western end of the forest, and though logging tracks are present throughout, the eastern end is less accessible to vehicles, though footpaths are located throughout the forest.[21] Many footpaths, including the Tabular Hills Walk, converge at Highwood Brow viewpoint (682.4 feet (208.0 m)) at the northern end of the forest. Its elevated spot, with a gap in the trees, offers views across Troutsdale, the Hackness valley, and the River Derwent.[12][22][2][23][24] Bicycling is also popular within the forest, or as a through route between Scarborough and nearby Dalby Forest.[25]
Horse riding and trail biking are also undertaken within the forest.[26]
Location
- Location map: 54°16’59"N, 0°32’38"W
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Wykeham Forest) |
References
- ↑ Williams, Penny; Sykes, Emily (2003). "North York Moors National Park Landscape Character Assessment". White Young Green Environmental. p. 61. https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/planning/framework/evidence-base/NYM-Landscape-Character-Assessment-reduced.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harrap, Simon (2010). Where to watch birds in Britain (2 ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 437. ISBN 978-1-4081-1059-1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 HoAF 1951, p. 6.
- ↑ "Wykeham Forest Plan". https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-planning/wykeham-forest-plan.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 HoAF 1951, p. 9.
- ↑ YFDW 2017, p. 12.
- ↑ HoAF 1951, p. 18.
- ↑ SSSI listing and designation for Cockrah Wood
- ↑ National Heritage List 1019352: Three round barrows in Wykeham Forest, known as the Three Tremblers (Historic England)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1017164: The Moor Dikes and Craddlegrip Dike prehistoric linear boundaries and other prehistoric remains in Wykeham Forest (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ Lax 1996, p. 3.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 YFDW 2017, p. 11.
- ↑ "If you go down to the woods today". Gazette & Herald. 23 July 2008. https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/3226614.if-you-go-down-to-the-woods-today/.
- ↑ "The monument where rabbits lived". Gazette & Herald. 13 August 2003. https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/6663947.the-monument-where-rabbits-lived/.
- ↑ YFDW 2017, p. 6.
- ↑ YFDW 2017, p. 7.
- ↑ "North York Moors to get new trees". BBC News. 8 February 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8504000/8504510.stm.
- ↑ Rummens, Fraser (18 March 2021). "Forestry England announces nursery closure". Forestry Journal. https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/news/19166894.forestry-england-announces-closure-wykeham-nursery-north-yorkshire/.
- ↑ "Forestry in England and the closure of Wykeham nursery - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament". https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/58473/forestry-in-england-and-the-closure-of-wykeham-nursery.
- ↑ Fitton, Sarah (24 May 2021). "Forestry England announces Wykeham nurseries are to close". The Scarborough News. https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/environment/forestry-england-announces-wykeham-nurseries-are-to-close-3248272.
- ↑ Williams, Penny; Sykes, Emily (2003). "North York Moors National Park Landscape Character Assessment". White Young Green Environmental. p. 62. https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/planning/framework/evidence-base/NYM-Landscape-Character-Assessment-reduced.pdf.
- ↑ Beadle, Brian (3 April 2013). "Country walk near the Tabular Hills". Gazette & Herald. https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/leisure/countrywalks/10327650.country-walk-near-the-tabular-hills/.
- ↑ Dillon, Paddy (2016). The Cleveland Way and Yorkshire Wolds Way (2 ed.). Milnthorpe: Cicerone. p. 85. ISBN 978-1852848231.
- ↑ "Long Distance Walkers Association". https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Tabular+Hills+Walk.
- ↑ "Dalby Forest trails, Low Dalby, North Yorkshire". The Guardian. 3 March 2007. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/mar/03/cyclingholidays.yorkshire.
- ↑ "Trial bikers spoil a peaceful weekend walk". infoweb.newsbank.com. 13 May 2006. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AA&page=1&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22Wykeham%20Forest%22&docref=news/111A1465F200C800.
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- Lax, Amy (1996). "Moor Dyke, Wykeham Forest: archaeological survey report". English Heritage Research Department Report Series. doi:10.5284/1056386.
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