Hob Hey Wood is classified as ‘ancient woodland’ but what exactly is ancient woodland? Officially, it is any woodland over 400 years old. Prior to this time, little woodland planting occurred so if a wood is over 400 years old, it’s almost certainly ancient; a relic of the ‘wildwood’ that covered much of Britain after the ice retreated at the end of the last ice age, 11,000 years ago.

There are two types of ancient woodland classification: ‘ancient semi-natural woodland’ and ‘plantations on ancient woodland sites’:

Ancient semi-natural woodland is an ancient woodland that has been left relatively intact, perhaps used for coppicing, but still retaining much of the original species from ancient times. 

Plantations on ancient woodland sites are woods on ancient sites that have been cleared and replaced with non-native species such as conifer and so not as rich and biodiverse as the woods left relatively untouched.

Hob Hey Wood is ancient semi-natural woodland, the most biodiverse habitat in Britain. Ancient woodlands now cover only 2% of land in Britain and is constantly under threat so even small woodlands like Hob Hey are important on a local and national scale.

Delamere Forest, much larger than Hob Hey Wood is classified as a ‘plantation on ancient woodland site’. Much of the native tree cover has been replaced with plantations of conifers so its ecosystem has been badly damaged over the past 100 years.

Our ancient woodlands, like Hob Hey, have developed flora and fauna over thousands of years. Soils left undisturbed for hundreds of years have allowed rich communities of fungi and invertebrates to establish. These rich habitats support more endangered species than any other in Britain. Each of these woods has its own unique biosphere, different to any other.

Many species that live in ancient woodlands are slow to spread so any threat to the woodland can remove a whole swathe of species from the local environment. After all, since ancient woodland is at least 400 years old, growing a replacement would take at least four centuries. Once they are gone, they’re gone for good. 

These unique and irreplaceable woodlands are all special places and need to be preserved for the benefit of Britain’s biodiversity and its people who enjoy these special places, yet according to the Woodland Trust, 1,225 ancient woodlands are currently under threat. A shocking number.

So how can we determine whether a woodland is ancient? As many species spread so slowly, the presence of several ‘ancient woodland indicators’ gives confidence that a woodland is ancient. Some of these indicators include:

Bluebell
Wild garlic
Primrose
Hart’s tongue fern
Hard fern
Dog’s mercury
Wych elm
Wood melick
Wood anemone
Pale wood violet
Orange ladybird
 

All of these species are found in Hob Hey Wood so we can be sure that this woodland has existed for hundreds of years at least. Hopefully, it will continue to shelter rare species and delight visitors for centuries to come.