Abbey Grove

Abbey Grove was planted as a native broadleaved woodland by the local community in December 1998 as part of The Trust's Woods on your Doorstep project. The design of the four hectare woodland incorporates an area of hazel coppice as a site feature and a small meadow to increase visitor enjoyment and habitat diversity. The tree species which were planted include common ash pedunculate oak sweet chestnut field maple hornbeam wild cherry hazel hawthorn and blackthorn. There is a wide array of wildlife including 12 species of butterfly woodland indicator plants such as wood anemone bluebell and sorrel and a very rare beetle only found in this wood. The site abuts an area of existing secondary woodland known as The Grove which is owned by Suffolk Coastal District Council and which is much used by the public. In 2001 the local community approached the Woodland Trust to create a volunteer group to aid the management of the site. This has developed in to a vibrant active community group which now undertakes all basic management within the wood. Public access is available with rides crossing and circulating the site and formal entrances have been created from the highway and through the Grove.