Winter Wood

This page contains information about the Winter Wood at Brocks Hill Country Park.

History

Winter Wood was one of the first woods to be planted in the country park with most of the trees planted in March 1999. Most of the trees were dedicated and planted by supporters of two organisations: LOROS (Leicestershire Organisation for the Relief of Suffering) and the Laura Centre in Leicester which offers counselling for anyone affected by the death of a child and for children affected by death.

Management

The species in the wood were chosen to be of particular interest during the winter months and include birch, Forret’s maple, white barked Himalyan birch, lace bark pine, Tibetan cherry, Scots pine, wild cherry, dogwood, blackthorn and holly.

Winter Wood had been left for natural processes to manage the area, as woodlands did before man took them into management but this will take place over a long period of time. Minimal maintenance is carried out (for health and safety reasons) with any cut material recycled where possible or stacked on site to provide homes for fungi, insects and small mammals. A dead hedge has been constructed using brash from recently felled trees to create a habitat for minibeasts and small mammals and also to provide cover for some Muntjac deer seen in the park. A path is being laid in the winter wood using logs felled as an edging and chipped wood as the fill in. Native bulbs have been planted either side of the new path for added interest. Some of the logs are being used as habitats for minibeasts and are a valuable learning resource for school groups. We respectfully ask people not to remove logs from the park or further projects such as these will not be able to go ahead.