Long term intentions

Historically this woodland has been managed by coppicing both Ash Plantation and Luckhurst Wood on a 30-40 year rotation. Luckurst Wood was coppiced completely over 2 stages in 1997 and 1999, and Ash Plantation was half coppiced in 1994 and the remaining coppice was thinned or stored in 2004 to start the conversion to high forest.

The Woodland Trust’s corporate objective of Improving Biodiversity will be achieved by allowing the woodland to mature naturally to become high forest. The merits of coppicing such a small wood are questionable given its isolated position within a farmed landscape. Due to the small size of the wood no meaningful sustained coppice cycle could be implemented. In the long term the coppice will be left to mature and slowly and naturally convert to high forest when the long term merits of deadwood habitats can be realised.

A long term aspiration would be to link the 2 woods of Ash Plantation and Luckhurst Wood together by a semi natural habitat.

The Woodland Trust’s corporate objective of public access will be achieved by allowing access along the internal permissive tracks which link up with the various Public Rights of Way which cross either woodland.