Priory Wood - Burwell

Site Description

Priory Wood is an 8.97 ha woodland creation site planted in November 1998. It was purchased, designed and planted with the assistance of the Burwell Woodland Group, which came together at the inception of the project. The woodland is one of 200 planted by the Woodland Trust to mark the Millennium under their Woods On Your Doorstep initiative. A pond has been created as a Millennium Feature, this is slow in developing.

The name serves as a reminder of the Priory of St John that once occupied the site of Parsonage Farm, immediately NE of the wood. The wood lies on the very edge of the old Cambridgeshire Fens region, so although there is much flat arable farmland in the vicinity, there is also existing wildlife interest in the old hedgerows, spring fed streams and small clumps of trees locally.

The woodland has been planted using locally native tree species with the aim of becoming native, high forest woodland. Oak, ash, silver birch and field maple make up 80% of the trees with willow, alder and woody shrubs being the remainder. Alder and willow have been planted into the wetter areas. The soil type changes within the site, ranging from being peat based in the west to being a chalkier, mineral soil nearer the village to the east.

The site includes three unplanted areas. Two areas at the eastern edge are retained due to the suspected archaeological interest adjacent to the ancient Hall and Parsonage Farm. Mowing bi-annually is a purchase restrictive covenant, aimed at preventing scrub from developing. Three overhead power lines run generally north - south through the centre of the site and converge at the north to give the third area of open ground A pylon power line clips the western edge of the site. A natural stream with a dense hedgerow containing large mature ash and oak trees divides the site again generally north - south, previously dividing the site into two fields. This has been bridged in two places to allow easier public access between the two fields. A further watercourse, an intensively managed IDB drain forms the western boundary. This feeds the created pond via an underground pipe. A public footpath (Green Lane) runs along the inside of the southern boundary and is a conservation feature in its own right, having remained largely unchanged for decades. The main entrance is via Parish Council land to the east. Management access is directly from a highway to the west.