Keen on the countryside, conservation, woodland management ? If so, you may wish to consider joining the Friends of Oakfrith Wood on their regular monthly working parties. Or, you might prefer to walk through this idyllic wood and appreciate the bluebells, orchids, deer, butterflies, fungi and other wild flowers and wildlife. Or, you may just wish to enjoy the peace and quiet this delightful wood offers.
Whatever your interests, the Friends of Oakfrith Wood hope that you will share the sentiments of Rivers and Eveline Pollock, one-time owners of the Urchfont Manor Estate, expressed on the plaque in the centre of the wood.
The Friends of Oakfrith Wood welcome new volunteers to their working parties, meeting on the first Saturday of the month at Urchfont Manor at 9.15 for a cup of coffee, prior to starting work clearing the rides and scrub, thinning, coppicing, fencing, planting trees and clearing litter.
The more committed may wish
to become involved in the special co- operative project undertaking essential thinning of trees and supplying firewood to local residents with professional supervision by County Council staff. Volunteers do not have to have any special experience of woodland management. We area very mixed group of people with one thing in common - a deep love of Oakfrith Wood.
All work is undertaken within the framework of the Management Plan agreed with the Forestry Commission.
If you would like to join us or have further information, please contact - Peter Newell, Chair (01380 840317)
NOTE Working Party meets at Urchfont Manor just before 9.30 for coffee
Oakfrith Wood History Oakfrith Wood is almost certainly a remnant of a much larger ancient wood in the Pewsey Vale. The earliest reference is in the 1784 Tithe map where it is referred to as Oakfrith Coppice (oak-frith meaning oak wood). It has been part of the Urchfont Manor Estate for many years, with the most recent private owners being Rivers and Eveline Pollock. The Estate was sold to Wiltshire County Council in 1946 for use as a residential adult education college.
Oakfrith Wood extends to some 14.1 hectares, including an additional 0.8 hectares acquired in 2000 as a County Millenium Project. Much of the wood was clear felled for the war effort in 1917, leaving little of the original ancient woodland. The wood appears to have been neglected until 1928, when the Pollock family undertook a major re-planting programme with a mixture of broadleaf and conifer and one area of pure conifer. Local woodsmen, Jesse Fidler and William Hale
undertook most of this work. The area of pure conifer (‘Witches Wood’) was clear felled in 1997 and replanted with broadleaf.
The Friends of Oakfrith Wood
The Friends of Oakfrith Wood was formed in 1994 as a result of concerns that the Wood had been neglected for many years, with only spasmodic management. The County Forestry Officer and the Director of Urchfont Manor College took the initiative to work with local residents and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to develop a coordinated approach to the management of the Wood. The Friends were born !
The objectives of the Friends are to manage Oakfrith Wood in co-operation with Wiltshire County Council to protect the fauna and flora of the Wood and conserve and enhance its biodiversity value as an educational resource and to encourage an appreciation of nature by local residents and visitors to the area.
The Friends were re-constituted as a charitable trust in 2006.
Key
Developments
Management of Oakfrith Wood has improved immeasurably as a result of the close working partnership between the County Council as landowner and the local community through the Friends. Major achievements include,
- 1994 Forestry Management Plan produced
- 1995 First Forestry Commission Woodland Grant Scheme approved the first voluntary working parties and the Conservation Management Plan produced by Chalkhill Consultants and subsequently revised in 2001
- 1996 First walks leaflet produced and subsequently updated
- 1997 Area of Douglas Fir (‘Witches Wood’) clear felled and replanted with native broadleaf in 1998
- 1998 Access to the Wood improved from adjacent byway with hard surface track into the Wood
- 1999 Comprehensive baseline botanical survey undertaken in conjunction with subsequent regular monitoring of birds and butterflies
- 2000 Release of land by tenant farmer for extension of Wood
by 0.8 hectares to form Millenium Copse; archaeological survey undertaken and some 900 broadleaf trees planted by 55 volunteers to coincide with Esso National Tree Week and to link in with Guinness World Record mass tree planting attempt.
- 2002 Friends receive the People of Wiltshire Environment Award
- 2004 Wood formally designated by English Nature (now Natural England) as the 1001st Local Nature Reserve in England and the first on County Council land in Wiltshire
- 2005 Display boards erected
- 2006 Memorandum of Understanding agreed between County Council, Urchfont Manor College and the Friends of Oakfrith Wood as to their respective responsibilities. Friends re- constituted as a charitable trust. Most recent Management Plan produced by the County Countryside Manager for the Forestry Commission. Working Woodland Co-operative established to provide training in chainsaw use and operation to enable volunteers to undertake
essential thinning of semi-mature trees and provide firewood for sale to local residents.
Conclusion
As a result of the commitment and hard work of local volunteers and continuing professional support by the County Council, Oakfrith Wood is now being well managed as a Local Nature Reserve, thus ensuring that it will continue to flourish as a resource for local people and future generations – an asset for the community, the County and the country as envisaged by Rivers and Eveline Pollock.
Graphic version of this page