14
FORESTS IN MINIATURE
If asked to name a large expanse of woodland in Essex, the
one which would immediately spring to mind is Epping Forest;
then perhaps the smaller forests of Hatfield and Hainault.
There are several large woods near Chelmsford, and a few
in the north of the county, which, if not split up as they
are, could be passed as forests. The fact is that the
enormous forest which once covered most of Essex, and is
still remembered in town names such as HaroldWOOD and
BrentWOOD, has virtually disappeared. What we are left
with is three forests and quite a few large woods spaced
out about the county; but we must not forget the small
woods and copses of Essex.
There are probably more small woodlands in South-West Essex
than anywhere else in the county. Around Brentwood, Billericay
and Ongar there are a great many of these small woodland
communities and although none of them contain the same number
of birds, plants, insects and mammals as the larger woodlands,
they really are forests in miniature.
The woods around this area, unless they have been planted with
anything else, are comprised mainly of Hornbeam. There are
always a few Oaks in them, and Silver Birch and Hawthorn also
occur in small numbers. Various flowering plants add to the
charm of the small woods in spring, and all the year round
there are many types of fungi around the woods.
These woods are the survivors of modern farming methods and
they all have their reasons for being left standing. It
would be pleasant to think that the farmers left the trees
Here to shelter the local wildlife. Although this may be
the case with several woods, most of them are there because
they have ponds in them which would be expensive to level
off when ploughing. Some are left to give shelter to the
farmers cattle during hot weather, and a few of them are
there because they have been bought by Forestry Commission.
These woodlands offer shelter to a variety of wildlife, but
at a casual glance many appear to be barren of life. Several