Editorial
EPPING FOREST - the natural aspect?
One hundred years ago the Epping Forest Act charged the Forest Con-
servators with the preservation of 'the natural aspect of the Forest'. It is still
unsure what, if anything, was meant by the 'natural aspect'. This volume
presents a summary of the soils and geological deposits, on which the old Forest
of Essex developed as the primaeval wildwood, and of how man's use of the
Forest changed it over the centuries until 100 years ago it came under the care of
the Corporation of the City of London. It also shows how the management of the
Forest since 1878 has caused further changes and led to some serious loss of
natural diversity.
This book is based on some of the papers given at the Epping Forest
Centenary Symposium held by the Epping Forest Conservation Centre in May
1978. The other papers dealt with the natural history of the Forest and will be
published soon in this series as 'The Wildlife of Epping Forest'. We hope that
these volumes, as well as being of interest and use to everyone who loves the
Forest, will stimulate the Forest Conservators to consider further the needs of
nature conservation in planning their next century of management.
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