WE ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED  TO ALL VISITORS.

THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE RESERVE, CAR PARK  OR ANY OF OUR FACILITIES

Ash Dieback.

Ash trees constitute a large proportion of the trees in the wood and are displaying increasing signs of the condition.  Ash Dieback causes Ash to become very brittle and increasingly prone to dropping branches and as the infection spreads through the tree, it becomes likely that it will collapse. We have already seen fallen branches on and near the paths.

One way to be completely safe would be to fell all the Ash within the wood, a major undertaking. This would have a dramatic impact on the wood and the biodiversity therein. Wholesale felling of Ash is also against current advice and is not something we are considering.

We will be continuing our survey and monitoring of the Ash to establish the health of the trees over the coming months. Once we have established if the wood can be reopened safely, we will update this statement  accordingly.

Meanwhile unfortunately, due to health and safety concerns, and for the safety of our visitors

the wood must sadly remain closed to the public.

There are many places to visit locally, click here for details

Under no circumstances should you park on the road. Any vehicles doing so will be reported to the police.

updated 18 September 2021

 

Every winter toads that spend the summer in the wood hibernate until spring. In late February or early March they emerge and move to the pool they were born in to breed. For the toads that move to Lulsley lagoon, this means that they have to cross a busy road. They do this at night, often pausing for a while on the tarmac, because this absorbs heat during the day and so is warmer than the surrounding soil. We would normally go out each evening and collect the toads, check their condition and then take them across the road to Lulsley Lagoon. Over the ten years to 2007 the best year totalled in the region of 200. A good number you might think. Well in 2008 we took part in an experiment, erecting a mesh fence for 100 meters along the edge of the road to block the toads route. They would try to move around this, and fall into buckets dug into the ground along the fence line. We Collect them each morning. A much easier and safer option. The first toads were caught on 25th february 2008 with a total of 593 safely moved across the road. This has proved to be so successful we now use the same method each year.

The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust have produced a Toad patrol factsheet, you can download it by clicking here