Woodley - Highwood (Berkshire)

Coast Redwoods - June 2023

Thanks to Barbara who wrote to tell us about the Coast Redwoods at Highwood in Woodley. "Highwood is a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by the Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) Countryside Service, in partnership with Friends of Highwood Residents' Group. It is accessible to the public from High Tree Drive, Earley, Kingfisher Drive, Woodley or Blackstone Way, Woodley." High Tree Drive, Earley - SU 74804 72510 Kingfisher Drive, Woodley - SU 75340 72468 Blackstone Way, Woodley - SU 74960 72745 "In their publicity WBC describe Highwood as an area of deciduous ancient woodland and a small area of open heathland. The wood contains an understory of native hazel, birch and rowan trees as well as yew trees, English oaks and field maple. A number of sweet chestnut trees also grow in one section of the wood." "In the nineteenth century an arboretum was created by the owners of Woodley Lodge/Bulmershe Court and a number of non-native species were introduced. These included Holm oak, monkey puzzle, incense cedar and some 65 coastal redwoods. More details about the history of the woodland are being followed up by local volunteers." "Apart from six trees that are still maidens, the remainder of the coastal redwoods were coppiced either in the first or second world wars. The exact date of their coppicing is still being explored. As a result of this procedure the trees have become multi-stemmed. So far volunteers from Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA) have recorded 45 of these trees in their database www.wdvta.org.uk. The survey work is yet to be completed." Thank you Barbara, it's good to keep a record on the history of these trees and I will be pleased to add anything else that's discovered.

Coast Redwood - June 2023