Old Spring Wood

This is a well-established amenity woodland. It has rides, extensive bare ground, flushes, standing dead wood. The leaf litter (largely Beech) is thick in places.

Old Spring Wood was heavily influenced by forestry operations during the 20th century but still retains many of species found in semi-natural ancient woodland.

Description

The northern third lies on Permian Marl, the remainder on Magnesian Limestone. The respective floras are not very different where the soils on the latter are wet.

The animal life of Old Spring Wood is typical of deciduous woodland on the Lower Magnesian Limestone and the species list contains many animals which are significant in a local, regional and national context.

History

Important indicators which confirm its age are boundary banks, stone boundary walls and earthworks indicating small Romano-British settlement. The present area was established between 1770 and 1850, with the exception of an area in the north-west corner associated with excavations (sand-pits), which is later.

10Ha in the south-east were planted with Beech, Sycamore and Ash between 1900 and 1903 and the remainder was planted with Sycamore, birch & Beech in 1954 while Scots Pine was extensively planted in the south to provide shelter for the rest of plantations

Old Spring Wood was purchased from the Forestry Commision by South Yorkshire County Council shortly before its abolition in 1986, at which time the wood was transferred to the Council. The wood is a valuable landscape feature, recreational resource & wildlife resource.

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Plants at Old Spring Wood
Animals at Old Spring Wood
Rotherham BAP - Woodlands
Site Appraisal