Our work at Maidenhead and Cookham Commons

Our work at Maidenhead Commons

Ride management at Maidenhead Thicket

Woodlands with structural diversity offer a wider range of habitats, which means you’ll find more species living in these areas.

At Maidenhead Thicket, we’ve created scalloped rides (linear tracks that act as corridors between the trees) and woodland glades. Doing this increases edge habitat and allows more sunlight into the open spaces. Linking these rides and glades together creates wildlife corridors which further increases species diversity.

Scalloped rides and glades are especially important for supporting cold-blooded species such as insects which, in turn, provides more feeding opportunities for other animals, such as bats and birds.

In connection with these ride improvements, we’re working alongside Butterfly Conservation to plant elm trees that are resistant to Dutch elm disease. Elm trees are the larval food source of the white-letter hairstreak, a small butterfly which is in serious decline.

Working together at North Town Moor

Working alongside the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, we look after this area of important green space for the benefit of all. The northern part of North Town Moor is regularly cut for amenity purposes, providing a great space for running or dog walking.

The pond next to the car park is managed by Make Space for Life, along with the community orchard, where you’ll find a variety of apple trees.

Winter Hill Road Woods

Once an old plantation of oak and larch, much of Winter Hill Road Woods is now managed as traditional coppice woodland. To increase the biodiversity of the woods, the non-native larch was removed, and the larger oaks were freed from competition using a process called ‘halo releasing’, which allows more light to reach these old oaks.

As well as the halo release of mature oaks, many younger oak trees have undergone ‘veteranisation’, a process by which we manage trees to speed up habitat production. Veteranisation techniques mimic natural damage, such as that caused by lightning strikes, branch failure and decaying wood habitat as a consequence of woodpecker holes.

The aim of veteranisation is to further support notable wood-decay invertebrates, such as the nationally scarce oak jewel beetle, which is already found on the site.

Coppice management

The understorey of much of Winter Hill Road Woods is now reverted to hazel coppice, a sustainable form of woodland management whereby trees are regularly cut off at ground level, causing rods to regrow from the stump. These rods can be used for many crafts and products, including bean poles, pea sticks, charcoal production, firewood, spoons, and hedge laying materials such as stakes and binders.

Coppicing can extend the life of the tree, creating a self-renewing source of timber. It is estimated that well managed hazel stools can survive for several hundreds of years.

Traditional coppice management increases biodiversity and creates a variety of vegetation heights within the wood, and is great for bluebells, wood anemone, germander speedwell, marsh marigold and violets. Coppicing is especially good for woodland fritillary butterflies and dormice.