Twyford Wood

Twyford Wood is a commercial woodland in Lincolnshire, England, approximately one mile east of Colsterworth and close to the former site of RAF North Witham. It is owned by the Forestry Commission, the government body responsible for forestry in England, and managed commercially by its operating subsidiary, Forest Enterprise (England). The woodland covers about 195 hectares, or approximately 480 acres, and is situated near Beaumont Wood. The site takes its name from Twyford, a medieval village that once stood south of Colsterworth. The area should not be confused with another surviving settlement of the same name elsewhere in Lincolnshire. A smaller woodland existed before the Second World War, covering roughly 60 hectares. From 1943, much of the surrounding land was developed as RAF North Witham and was used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. After the end of the European air campaign, the Royal Air Force took over the site and used it as a bomb-collection dump, from which ordnance was sent for disposal. In 1945, after the war, the woodland and former airfield property were transferred to the Forestry Commission. During the 1950s, the Commission redeveloped many of its woodland holdings in the River Trent valley for timber production. Scots pine and Corsican pine were planted for use by local industry, while the original stands of English oak, or Quercus robur, were retained in the older woodland area. Today, Twyford Wood remains a working commercial forest rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its principal functions include timber production, public access, recreation and nature conservation. A small car park provides access from the A151, and the site is also used for off-road motor sport. Parts of the woodland support butterfly conservation work managed by the Lincolnshire branch of Butterfly Conservation. The site is notable for populations of the dingy skipper and grizzled skipper butterflies. Its physical environment is shaped by seasonally waterlogged clay and fine loamy soils over clay, associated with the Ragdale soil series. The underlying geology includes boulder clay over upper Lincolnshire limestone. Twyford Wood therefore combines a plantation landscape created partly for commercial forestry with remnants of older broadleaf woodland, former military land and habitats of conservation interest.

Twyford Wood is a woodland and former Forestry Commission property in Lincolnshire, England. The name derives from the medieval village of Twyford, which was located south of Colsterworth. The woodland predates the Second World War, although the pre-war wooded area was considerably smaller than the present commercial forest. From 1943 onward, land around the woodland was incorporated into RAF North Witham, a wartime airfield used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Following the end of hostilities in Europe, the USAAF returned the site to the Royal Air Force. The former airfield was then used as a bomb-collection dump, with ordnance dispatched from the site for disposal. In 1945, the Forestry Commission took over the woodland and the former RAF property. During the 1950s, the Commission pursued a regional programme of commercial reforestation in the River Trent valley. Scots pine and Corsican pine were planted to create productive timber resources for local industry. The planting programme expanded the woodland substantially, while the original English oak trees in the older woodland were left standing. The modern woodland covers approximately 195 hectares. It is managed by Forest Enterprise (England), the Forestry Commission's commercial management arm. Management combines forestry operations with public access and other land uses. A small car park is available from the A151, and the wood has been used for off-road motor sport. The site also contains areas managed for butterflies by the Lincolnshire branch of Butterfly Conservation, with the dingy skipper and grizzled skipper among the species associated with the reserves. Twyford Wood's landscape reflects several overlapping phases of land use: medieval settlement history, pre-war woodland, wartime aviation infrastructure, post-war government forestry and contemporary conservation and recreation. Its soils consist largely of slowly permeable, seasonally waterlogged clayey and fine loamy material over clay, associated with the Ragdale soil series. Geologically, the woodland lies on boulder clay over upper Lincolnshire limestone. The site remains active as a managed commercial woodland. It is not documented as a conventional consumer brand with packaged products, corporate marketing campaigns or publicly reported executives. Its significance is instead geographic, environmental, historical and institutional, as a Forestry Commission woodland managed for timber and public benefit.

• 1950

  Post-war commercial reforestation

  [1]Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org

  During the 1950s, Scots pine and Corsican pine were planted as part of a Forestry Commission programme to support local timber industries, while older English oaks were retained.

• 1945

  Forestry Commission takes over the site

  [1]Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org

  After the war, the woodland and former RAF property were taken over by the Forestry Commission.

• 1943

  RAF North Witham developed

  [1]Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org

  Land surrounding the woodland was developed as RAF North Witham and used by the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War.

• Pre-war woodland established

  [1]Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org

  A woodland of approximately 60 hectares existed in the area before the Second World War.

• Modern commercial woodland management

  [1]Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org

  The site developed into a roughly 195-hectare commercial woodland managed by Forest Enterprise (England), with public access, recreation and conservation uses.

A publicly owned, commercially managed English woodland combining timber production, recreation, former military-land heritage and nature conservation.

• Forestry output

  Commercial timber

  Twyford Wood is managed as a commercial forest and includes extensive Scots pine and Corsican pine planted during the post-war Forestry Commission reforestation programme. These plantations were established to provide timber for local industry. The woodland also retains original English oak trees, giving the site a mixed plantation and broadleaf character. No specific timber grades, volumes or branded wood products are identified in the available reference material.

1. 1Twyford Wooden.wikipedia.org