the major pest species they are in North Wales. On a few occasions native trees have been planted.
Lloyd (1978) infers that Alders (Alnus glutinosa) were planted on the Oak Hill enclosure in about
1850-70. Alder is established by some ponds in the Forest, notably the Fairmead Alder Pond and the
Perch Pond. Wanstead Park. On the Bell Common cut and cover tunnel Hazel, Ash. Field Maple. Oak,
Birch and Hornbeam have been planted, whilst on the North Circular Road waste site ( page 85 )
Elder, Field Maple, Birch, Holly and Hornbeam have been planted. The practice of planting native
trees is long-standing. In September 1785 Mr. Conyers of Copped Hall (he was the Master Keeper of
Epping Walk) presented himself before the Forest Court for enclosing three acres of ground 'for ye
purpose of raising Covers... when it was enclosed (it) was sown with Acorns and other seeds of Forest
Trees'. It was ordered that he throw down the enclosure which was near the Turnpike Road to Epping.
In 1831 the inhabitants of Wanstead and Leyton were presented before the court for planting trees and
shrubs at ten sites within the parishes and had illegally enclosed the ground using the planting of trees
as a pretext for enclosure.
Fortunately, with the passing of the Epping Forest Act in 1878. there were no attempts at replanting
large tracts of the Forest with trees, non-native or otherwise. Buxton (1911) opposed planting in the
Forest, giving the perceptive reason that even after hundreds of years an artificial plantation is
immediately distinguishable from a natural wood with all the trees even-aged. Buxton realised that
there was much natural regeneration in the Forest anyway without the need for planting, although he
suggested that care should be taken not to allow the Forest to be overstocked with animals, otherwise
regeneration would be severely checked. Buxton added that experimentally some areas of young trees
had been protected by low fences to keep out cattle (but not deer) and that 'valueless pollard trees'
were felled to protect the same groups of saplings. Buxton also said, as did other experts, that there
was no use in the Epping Forest Committee maintaining a nursery on the Forest to grow trees for
planting. One such nursery area was enclosure 369 (see map page 49) on Warren Hill. Illegally
enclosed from the Forest, by the 1870s this enclosure was an arable field. Ridge and furrow are still
present today in the area, although it is now almost entirely covered by trees. The conservators had
considered the establishment of a nursery and subsequently over 300,000 trees at a farthing each were
purchased from the Lawson Seed and Nursery Co. of Edinburgh and at some time prior to January
1884 the larger trees were planted at a site in Chingford and in enclosure 369. The present day tree
cover exemplifies their choice of non-local trees - False Acacia. Sycamore, Lime, Horse Chestnut,
Sweet Chestnut, Hybrid Poplar, Wych Elm, Hybrid Elm and Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum).
A number of tree and shrub species have escaped from cultivation from the many gardens that
surround the Forest. A notable example is Plum (Prunus domestica), which suckers underneath fences,
invading the margins of the Forest. Sometimes fruit bushes are deliberately planted. I know of one
individual in Lords Bushes who has planted Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) canes. Gooseberry (Ribes
uva-crispa). Red Currant (R. rubrum) and Blackcurrant (R. nigrum) at the end of his property in order
to produce a crop from the Forest! Similarly, I suspect a small group of mature Pear (Pyrus communis)
trees just opposite the Warren Wood public house on Epping New Road are deliberate plantings. A
few Apple (Malus domestica) trees are no doubt the relics of discarded apple cores in the Forest.
Other acts of deliberate planting include that by the gentleman who placed acorns into holes made
with his walking stick on Epping Plain in the 1930s. This once floristically interesting grassy plain is
now secondary woodland. Some trees have been planted to commemorate a person or event. A
Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) was planted near the Temple in Wanstead park in 1965 as
a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill. There are at least five circular plantations of trees on Wanstead
Flats of species such as Beech. Oak, Hornbeam and Red Oak. planted in the late 19th century. A list
of introduced, non-native trees and shrubs recently found in the Forest is given in Table 2.
2) Grassland and Heathland
Neutral Grassland
These are grasslands that are neither strongly acidic nor calcareous. In Epping Forest they have
developed mainly on London Clay. Such grasslands include Whitehall Plain, Chingford Plain,
Theydon Plain, Fairmead Bottom, Woodford Green and many of the smaller greens in the Forest such
as Arewater Green, Copped Hall Green, Ash Green, Debden Green and Buckhurst Hill Green. They
are probably of great antiquity. All those mentioned above are shown on the Chapman and Andre map
of 1777. It is likely that their history stretches back much further than this. All these grasslands were
in effect permanent pastures. They were never cut for hay, except as happened in the 19th century
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