The Ancient Woodland Inventory (AWI) identifies areas of woodland and wood-pasture which have been in existence since at least 1600 AD. These sites have irreplaceable ecological and historical characteristics, owing to their habitat continuity and historical management. Many are now in poor condition or threatened by development.
Wiltshire's existing AWI has helped to conserve the woodlands that it currently designates, however it has significant gaps and does not conform to modern data standards. As part of a Natural England-led project in association with The Woodland Trust, WSBRC gathered evidence to rewrite the AWI for Wiltshire and Swindon. The update will improve the AWI’s accuracy and capture ancient woodland and wood-pasture currently missing.
Project Outline
Phase 1 (Sep 2021 to June 2022)
Detailed late-19th Century maps and recent aerial photos were compared to identify pre-1880s woodland and wood pasture.
Phase 2 (June to July 2022)
The phase 1 output was compared with the existing inventory to find which woodland parcels are already designated ancient.
Phase 3 (July 2022 to September 2024)
Parcels identified in phases 1 and 2 were investigated for woodland continuity since 1600AD using historical maps and documents.
Examples of maps being used:
- Tithe maps (1840s)
- Ordnance Survey Drawings (early 1800s)
- Enclosure maps (late 1700s)
- Andrew's and Drury's county map (1773)
- Manorial plans (1500s to 1800s)
Where historical evidence is limited, field surveys will be carried out to identify ancient woodland and wood-pasture using:
- Indicator species
- Veteran trees and old coppice stools
- Surface archaeological features
Phase 4 (April 2024 to January 2025)
The evidence gathered will be used to determine which parcels of woodland and wood-pasture can be included in the updated AWI.
Phase 5 (March 2025)
Final dataset was submitted to Natural England for inclusion in the national dataset, which will be made freely available under an Open Government Licence.
External links
For more information on Ancient Woodland habitats:
Click here for some of the digitised historical maps being used in the AWI project.