Bourne Wood and Crooksbury Common Forest Plan

Bourne Wood and Crooksbury Common Forest Plan

About

Bourne Wood and Crooksbury Common cover a combined area of 105.2ha and lie southeast of Farnham in Surrey.

Crooksbury Common is currently under a leasehold agreement and is owned by Guildford Borough Council. Bourne Wood is freehold and owned by the Forestry Commission.

Both woodlands are largely coniferous with the main species being Corsican and Scots Pine.

 An area in Crooksbury Common is designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is leased by The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust as a flagship Nature Reserve.

Both woodlands are part of the Surrey Hill’s Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty (AONB).

Bourne wood is also strategically important to the UK film industry as a filming location. Since 1999 numerous films, commercials, television programmes and music videos have been filmed there.

Objectives

The objectives of management here are to:

•Take opportunities to increase the nature conservation value of existing habitats.

•Maintain and increase the species and age diversity of the woodland to improve long term resilience.

•Provide a regular supply of quality timber to support local employment and local timber processing industries.

•Provide, maintain and enhance the recreational capacity of the woodland where possible.

What we'll do

Approval has been granted for the operations to run from November 2016 to November 2026.

The species composition will also change from 7% mixed woodland, 75% conifer and 18% open habitat in 2016 to 82% mixed woodland and 18% open habitat in 2116.