Ancient Woodland Indicator Plants in Fore Wood, Crowhurst, East Sussex. 05.03.25

This post illustrates the species of Ancient Woodland Indicator Plants that I found in Fore Wood that are listed in Indicators Of Ancient Woodland – the use of vascular plants in evaluating ancient woods for nature conservation. Francis Rose, British Wildlife 10.4 April 1999, Pages 241-251

Fore Wood is a High Weald Ghyll Wood

Natural England maintains an index of woodland it has determined is ancient; the map of these woodland sites can be explored here: https://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/ancient-woodland-england/explore Fore Wood is listed by Natural England as Ancient Woodland (Ancient and Semi-natural Woodland). Here is the map for Fore Wood

Natural England classifies ancient woodland as either:

(a) (ASNW) Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland mainly made up of trees and shrubs native to the site, usually arising from natural regeneration

or

(b) (PAWS) Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sights (or Ancient Replanted Woodland) – replanted with conifer or broadleaved trees (e.g. Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa) that retain ancient woodland features, such as undisturbed soil, ground flora and fungi

Fore Wood is designated by Natural England as Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, but it does have some small areas of planted Sweet Chestnut which the RSPB is removing.

Fore Wood is managed by the RSPB:

Fore Wood is a stretch of peaceful woodland near Crowhurst, dotted by gyhlls – steep-sided little ravines in the sandstone where rare ferns grow and wildlife thrives. In the spring, Fore Wood is a riot of Bluebells and Wood Anemones, with Early Purple Orchids adding to the show, an ideal place for East Sussex walks.

This ancient woodland is a mix of Hornbeam, oak and Sweet Chestnut trees. We carefully manage the woodland for the benefit of the wildlife using coppicing – a traditional woodland management practice. RSPB Fore Wood

Fore Wood is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest: SSSI citation

Here are the Ancient Woodland Indicator Plants that I saw:

Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle

Oxalis acetosella Wood-Sorrel

Primula vulgaris Primrose

Ribes rubrum Red Currant, by one of the ghylls

Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell

Ruscus aculeatus Butcher’s-Broom

Anemonoides nemorosa Wood Anemone

with Psectrotanypus varius a species of non biting midge.

Struthiopteris spicant Hard Fern

Polystichum setiferum Soft Shield Fern

Ilex aquifolium European Holly

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium Opposite-leaved Golden-Saxifrage

By one of the ghylls;  Opposite-leaved Golden-Saxifrage is mostly a plant of damp stream/ghyll sides, or wet flushes

A view of one of the ghylls with Lesser Celandine, Ficaria verna. Lesser Celandine is not an AWVP indicator but it is a very important early source of pollen for pollinators. There are two ghyll is Fire Wood – this one has shallow sides

but the other ghyll has much steeper sides and is more typical of the upper reaches of ghylls in High Weald Ghyll Woods, like Fore Wood.

Ardingly Sandrock can be seen in this photograph. Where the porous Ardingly Sandrock meets the impervious Wadhurst Clay springs are formed that feed the ghylls. Global heating is a great threat to the survival of the internationaly important ghyll wood habitat of the High Weald.

In the south-east of England mean annual temperatures have increased by approximately 1.7°C over the past 50 years,(UKCIP 2013). Average rainfall remained unchanged during the same period, but patterns of precipitation did change with mean rainfall levels decreasing in the spring and summer months, but increasing in the autumn and winter. Over the same period the average annual and seasonal levels of relative humidity fell by up to 5% in the south and east of England (UKCIP 2013).
The presence of regionally and nationally important vascular and non-vascular
plant communities within the Wealden ghylls is attributed to the cool, humid
microclimatic conditions associated with the ghyll valleys (Paton 1956, Ratcliffe 1968, Rose and Patmore 1997). The rising temperature levels coupled with the existence within the ghyll woodlands is closely related to a cool, humid ghyll microclimate.

Andrew Flint, PhD Thesis, 2014, University of Brighton The biodiversity of the Wealden ghyll woodlands: species richness,
abundance and distribution patterns in a rare and fragmented habitat

A Dark-edged bee-fly, Bombylius major, on Lesser Celandine. Flies are important pollinators. Natural History Museum: Meet the bee-fly: the cute bee mimic with a dark side

Orange-Tip Butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, a butterfly of damp places, on Lesser Celandine

Bee-Flies and Orange Tip Butterflies are some of the earliest pollinators to appear in spring; but they have finished in the adult flying form by May/June; although Orange Tip Butterflies sometimes have a second brrod

An ancient pollarded Carpinus betulus European Hornbeam within the wood. Rose makes it clear in his list that Carpinus betulus should only be considered an AWVP indicator only if they occur well within the wood and do not appear to have been planted.

Theses Hornbeams form a boundary around the wood; whilst theses trees as species can not be considered as AWVP indicators; the structure of the ancient boundary (raised bank with coppiced trees) is probably an indicator of ancient woodland.

This is Francis Rose’s list of Ancient Woodland Indicator Plants (AWVP) for South East Woodland

Acer campestre*, Field Maple

Adoxa mosichatellina, Moschatel

Allium ursinum, Ramsons,

Anagallis minima, Chaffweed

Anemone memorosa, Wood Anemone

Aquilegia vulgaris*, Columbine

Blechnum spicant, Hard Fern

Bromopsis ramosa, Hairy-brome

Calamagrostis epigejos, Wood Small-reed

Campanula latifolia, Giant Bellflower

Campanula trachelium, Nettle-leaved Bellflower

Cardamine amara, Large Bitter-cress

Carex laevigat, Smooth-stalked Sedge

Carex pallescens, Pale Sedge

Carex pendiula*, Pendulous Sedge

Carex remota, Remote Sedge

Carex strigosa, Thin-spiked Wood-sedge

Carex sylvatica, Wood-sedge

Carpinus betulus*, Hornbeam

Ceratocapnos claviculata, Climbing Corydalis

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage

Colchicum autumnale, Meadow Saffron

Conopodium majus, Pignut

Convallaria majalis, Lily-of-the-valley

Crataegus laevigata, Midland Hawthorn

Daphne laureola*, Spurge-laurel

Dipsacus pilosus, Small Teasel

Dryopteris aemula, Hay-scented Buckler-fern

Dryopteris affinis, Scaly Male-fern

Dryopteris carthusiana, Narrow Buckler-fern

Elymus caninus, Bearded Couch

Epipactis helleborine, Broad-leaved Helleborine

Epipactis purpurata, Violet Helleborine

Equisetum sylvaticum, Wood Horsetail

Euonymus europaeus, Spindle

Euphorbia amygdaloides, Wood Spurge

Festuca gigantea, Giant Fescue

Frangula alnus, Alder Buckthorn

Galium odoratum, Sweet Woodruff

Gnaphalium sylvaticum, Heath Cudweed

Helleborus viridis*, Green Hellebore

Holcus mollis, Creeping Soft-grass

Hyacinthoidles non-scripta, Bluebell

Hypericum androsaemum, Tutsan

Hypericum pulchrum, Slender St John’s-wort

Ilex aquifolium, Holly

Iris foetidissima, Stinking Iris

Lamiastrum galeobdolon, Yellow Archangel

Lathraea squamaria, Toothwort

Lathyrus liniifolius, Bitter-vetch

Lathyrus sylvestris, Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea

Luzula forsteri, Southern Wood-rush

Luzula pilosa, Hairy Wood-rush

Luzula sylvartica, Great Wood-rush

Lysimachia nemorum, Yellow Pimpernel

Malus sylvestris*, Crab Apple

Melampyrum pratense, Common Cow-wheat

Melica uniflora, Wood Melick

Milium effusum, Wood Millet

Moehringia trinervia, Three-veined Sandwort

Narcissus pseudonarcissus*, Wild Daffodil

Neottia nidus-avis, Bird’s-nest Orchid

Orchis mascula, Early Purple Orchid

Ophris purpurea, Lady Orchid

Oreopteris limbosperma, Lemon-scented Fern

Oxalis acetosella, Wood-sorrel

Paris quadrifolia, Herb-Paris

Phyllitis scolopendrium*, Hart’s-tongue

Pimpinella major, Greater Burnet-saxifrage

Platanthera chlorantha, Greater Butterfly-orchid

Poa nemoralis, Wood Meadow-grass

Polygonatum multiflorum

Polypodium spp., Solomon’s-seal

Polystichum aculeatum, Hard Shield-fern

Polystichum setiferum, Soft Shield-fern

Populus tremula, Aspen

Potentilla sterilis, Barren Strawberry

Primula vulgaris*, Primrose

Prunus avium, Wild Cherry

Pulmonaria longifolia, Narrow-leaved Lungwort

Quercus petraea*, Sessile Oak

Radiola linoides, Allseed

Ranunculus auricomus, Goldilocks Buttercup

Ribes nugrum, Black Currant

Ribes rubrum*, Red Currant

Rosa arvensis, Field-rose

Ruscus aculeatus, Butcher’s Broom

Sanicula europaea, Sanicle

Scutellaria minor, Lesser Skullcap

Scirpus sylvaticus, Wood Club-rush

Sedum telephium, Orpine

Serraula tintoria, Saw-wort

Solidago virgaurea, Golden-rod

Sorbus torminalis, Wild Service Tree

Stachys officinalis, Betony

Tamus communis, Black Bryony

Tilia cordata*, Small-leaved Lime

Ulmus glabra, Wych Elm

Vaccinium myrtillus, Bilberry

Veronica montana, Wood Speedwell

Viburnum lantana, Guelder Rose

Vicia sepium, Bush Vetch

Vicia sylvatica, Wood Vetch

Viola palustris, Marsh Violet

Viola reichenbachiana, Early Dog-violet

Wahlenbergia hederacea, Ivy-leaved Bellflower

* Consider these species only if they occur well within the wood and do not appear to have been planted.

It should be noted that when calculating Ancient Woodland Indicator Plants scores:

• A high AWVP score is a reliable indication of natural diversity.
• It also indicates ancient woodland, but does not on its own constitute proof.
• Some woods which are undoubtedly ancient have a low AWVP score. Study of other components of the woodland biodiversity such as lichens, or invertebrates in rotting wood, may give clearer indications of ancient woodland status. Quite often, ancient sites that are rich in AWVP’s will be poor in lichens and rotting wood invertebrates and vice-versa.
• Not all indicator species are strictly limited to ancient woodlands. For example, where secondary woodland adjoins older woodland, it will acquire species associated with older woods much more quickly than isolated secondary woods.
• Plants which are also cultivated in gardens (e.g. Wild Daffodil) should be used with great caution.
• Certain woodlands can credibly be established as being ‘ancient’ through the study of old historical records such as maps and estate records. Observations of landscape features such as banks, ditches and other topographical features within a wood will also give clues to previous land use. By surveying a number of these ‘proven’ ancient woodlands, species which are usually confined to this type of habitat can be identified.  From: Countryside Information Ancient Woodland Indicator Species

The edge of Fore Wood, with Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, in blook, and behind Pedunculate Oak, Quercus robur, Silver Birch, Betula pendula and Holly, Ilex aquifolium