Holt Copse is an ancient semi-natural woodland (listed in the English Nature ancient woodland inventory 1995) and a Wildlife Heritage site (designated by BBOWT). The copse is 2.7 hectares in area (6.7 acres) and is the remaining part of a larger woodland which covered all the parkland between Jubilee Avenue and Holt Lane to the north west of Wokingham. This woodland has long been isolated by fields and the built environment. At present parkland and gardens act as a green buffer zone to most of the copse. The site is owned and managed by Wokingham Town Council.
Holt Copse lies on the geological change from Bagshot beds to London clay. This, along with a long history of active management, has created the type of woodland we see today.
The Copse has in the past been actively managed as oak standards over hazel coppice, but with no active management of the hazel for approximately 20 - 30 years prior to 1999. There is a variety of tree species within the canopy mix, but oak makes up 90% of the canopy species. The net canopy covers about 80% of the copse area.
Regeneration of oaks has taken place in areas of long grass, but generally no young trees have emerged into the shrub layer or lower canopy. Many of the mature oaks are now losing vigour and dying off. At present the woodland shrub layer is overstood hazel, with dense patches of holly and areas of bramble. Due to the lack of active management in recent years this has led to a reduction in ground flora and a channelling of public access into well defined paths.
Since 1999 Holt Copse has been actively managed by the Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers in conjunction with Wokingham Town Council. Traditional coppicing of hazel has been re-introduced along with clearance of dense areas of holly and bramble. Cleared areas have also been re-planted with hazel and oak.
Location of Holt Copse
The Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers (HCCV) were founded in 1999 by a group of concerned local residents with the aim of working with Wokingham Town Council in the management of Holt Copse for the benefit of its users and all aspects of the natural environment.
The HCCV undertakes practical conservation work under the auspices of the Management Plan and Wokingham Town Council. The group is affiliated to The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and affiliated to, but independent of, the Joel Park Residents Association (JPRA).
Membership of the HCCV is open to anyone interested in taking an active part in the work of the group. We hold conservation work parties on alternate Saturday mornings and occasional weekdays throughout the autumn and winter. These mornings are very enjoyable and require no previous experience of conservation work as basic training can be given on the day. See our Events page for the work party dates for the current season.
In the spring and summer months we also organise other activities such as bat walks and plant surveys. Other constructional tasks such as footpath and footbridge building are also undertaken to help improve public access to The Copse.