Woodlands represent the greatest area of any priority habitat in Berkshire. They cover 18,000 ha of which 9,160 ha (7% of the county) is priority BAP habitat. Woodlands has been well recorded over the last few centuries and are an integral part of our cultural heritage. They vary from the wooded valleys and wet woodlands of the river corridors to traditional Hunting Forests and parkland.

Windsor Great Park is an internationally important site, which deserves special mention for the sheer number and age of its veteran trees, some of which date back to the time of William the Conqueror. The park holds more ancient oaks than Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands put together. There are further large estates and associated parkland throughout the county and this habitat adds to the local distinctiveness of county as well as supporting an important mosaic habitat for assemblages of invertebrates, birds and fungi. 

Follow the link to Berkshire's Woodland HAP targets.  

The main objectives of the Woodland HAP, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, are:

• To establish the existing extent of priority woodland habitat.
• To maintain the existing area of BAP priority woodland.
• To ensure no further loss, especially of ancient or semi-natural woodland.
• To ensure priority BAP woodland habitat is appropriately managed to maintain or achieve favourable or recovering condition.
• To restore areas of derelict woodland and parkland habitat and where appropriate, i.e. not in conflict with other BAP habitat objectives, create areas of new woodland to help reverse fragmentation and reduce generation gap between veteran trees.

Further information:

Forest Research have further information about lowland native woodlands and the restoration of plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS).

For further information on the definitions and reasons why this habitat is a priority, see the UK BAP website:
Lowland mixed deciduous woodland, Wet woodland, Wood-pasture and parkland