Woodland continuity and change: ancient woodland in eastern Hertfordshire

Woodland is a distinctive and widespread feature of the landscape of eastern Hertfordshire. Some woods are little more than a few trees and much scrub that are recolonising waste ground, some are monocultures of conifers, some are old and often neglected coppice, with or without standards, some comprise well-grown but species-poor trees and some are complex, species-rich woodlands. Woodlands have been grubbed and planted over the centuries. Once, the landscape of eastern Hertfordshire was dominated by forest. As humans advanced into and settled the area clearance began. In places this has produced dramatic and lasting change. In other areas the process was slower and at times reversed. The fragmented woodland cover today reflects the underlying natural conditions of climate and soil, and the social and economic history of the area.