Woodlands provide a major part of the protective belt around Cookham. Bisham Woods to the west of the parish is an 86-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Local Nature Reserve and part of the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation.  The whole area, comprising several separately named woods, four of which are also Local Wildlife Sites. offers great potential for birdlife, mammals, insects, plants and fungi.  A notable good news story has been that Ravens first bred in Berkshire again here recently, after a 150-year absence.

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Much of it is owned by the Woodland Trust.  We support their activities in maintaining these woodlands and ensuring that they offer the best possible environment for relevant wildlife.

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You can get involved in a number of ways

We have a team of volunteers who survey our mature trees, each classified as either ancient, veteran or notable, feeding the results into the national Ancient Tree Inventory.   Trees support so much life: learning about this, and the range of our local woodland wildlife, is also part of our mission where we need volunteer support.

 

Building public understanding of, our woodlands is also important.  We arrange guided walks to identify what fungi are about at appropriate times, as well as woodland walks in the spring at bluebell time and Dawn Chorus walks in May to hear the choir of bird songsters in the Spring. 

 

Check the information on our Events page to find out more.