Survey

All 2,617 sites that had been identified as being continuously present since the 1830s were visited by surveyors between April and July in three consecutive years, 2004-06. Further survey was carried out in 2007 on a sample of 129 sites for which the best historical evidence was available.

Survey involved walking around each site, concentrating on areas where there were significant variations in habitat and visiting all boundaries, recording:

• Information on the landscape context of the site

• Woodland type (i.e. semi-natural or plantation; broadleaved, conifer or mixed; scrub, wood pasture/parkland)

• Vascular plants and bryophytes from a specified list containing around 400 species

• Ancient trees; species, girth, location and form (whether coppice, pollard or maiden)

• Presence and size of boundary banks, internal banks and walls, and ditches

• Evidence of other land use post-1600

• Information on the condition of each wood, requested by Environment and Heritage Service, including management, presence of invasive species and levels of grazing