Ivy Crag Wood ^Featured

Ivy Crag Wood is a small remnant of mature oak woodland on the slopes of Dodd, below Skiddaw, near Keswick. The majority of woodland on Dodd was planted at the end of the 18th century, and has been used since then for commercial forestry. Ivy Crag Wood is one of the only areas which still has the original oak woodland.

Traditionally the wood would have been coppiced regularly, and there is an old charcoal burning pitstead on the site. However at some point, coppicing ceased and the oaks are now mature and are starting to provide nest holes and dead wood making them extremely valuable for wildlife. Pied flycatcher use holes in trees for nesting, and redstart, great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper and tawny owl also breed on the nature reserve. In addition, Cumbria Wildlife Trust maintains a number of nest boxes on the nature reserve to provide additional nest sites.

The Trust are working to clear conifers and beech trees which have spread from the surrounding forestry plantation, and rhododendron, growing in the lower part of the nature reserve.

location: Keswick and North Lakes
project delivered by: Cumbria Wildlife Trust

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