Siccaridge Wood

Siccaridge Wood and the adjacent Sapperton Valley offer a wide diversity of habitats within a relatively small area. A huge variety of tree species from silver birch and hazel to pedunculate and field maple offer refuge to birds, insects and mammals. The woodland supports a sizeable population of dormice, numbers of which are monitored monthly as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Scheme. Coppicing is an important part of the management strategy for Siccaridge Wood, which allows light to flood the woodland floor. This increase in light and more open glades encourage wildflowers to flourish and attracts butterflies. Along with wildflowers, the woodland floor is also dotted with the large, mounded nests of wood ants. The River Frome, a section of the derelict Thames and Severn Canal and flood meadows lie to the south of the woods and has now become part of a wilder landscape. Siccaridge comes from the old English words sicor hyreg, which means ‘secure, safe ridge’. The coppiced woodland at Siccaridge Woods continues a tradition dating back many centuries,