Yoell's Copse is small area, about 12 acres, of truly Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland,("primary") that has survived as an isolated copse for at least 2000 years and in all probability back to the Ice Age. In the last 20 years it has become surrounded by housing estates on three sides and now has no links or corridors for wildlife to adjoining countryside.

Surveys were carried out in 1986 and 1990 and recorded 107 plant species and of these 39 were AW species.(John Rose, HWT) Further surveys were carried out by JV 1992 to 97 and added mosses, liverworts and ferns and a revised list of plant species was made in Nov 1998. Now, 20 years after the first survey we are able to monitor changes in the flora. There are many unusual features about this woodland that make it so special.

Aliens and imported species are almost absent.

The tree community contains rarities such as sessile oak and wild service tree (including rare natural hybrids with whitebeam).

There are no local comparative woods apart from the tiny fragments of Bull's Copse which still has some aspens but most of the oaks were pedunculate oaks. The nearest 'wildwood' can be found at The Mens in West Sussex but there is not any other site within East Hampshire that has such an ancient pedigree, all the more amazing because it is so small and isolated.

The wooded area covers an isolated outcrop of Reading Beds resting on the Upper Chalk at variable depths and consists of mixed clay and sand. The sandy area is mostly on the south-east side, a pit suggests that a quantity of sand has been removed. The resulting soil is infertile, waterlogged in winter and because of the underlying chalk, drains and bakes hard during dry summers. This is probably a leading factor ensuring that the wood has survived any attempts to cultivate the area.

All OS maps back to 1810 mark the copse as an isolated piece of woodland. The following pictures are from left to right

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It is clear from the two air photos how much of the copse has been lost in 60 years, most in the last 20 years. The land immediately to the south was largely apple orchards and to the north is still used for grazing animals but the field boundaries and hedgerows on this side are lost although there are still wire and posts but it would be great if these boundaries could be replanted with hedgerows.

The Flora - a full list of the species present will be attached to the website soon.

Notes on the trees of Yoell's Copse
This woodland is noted for the presence of Sessile Oak and four native Sorbus species with a number of hybrids.

Most of our local woods have the common English Oak (Quercus robur) but this wood (and possibly Bull's Copse once) has mostly Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea). Both species are native but ecologically are very different although they do hybridise. Sessile Oak is commoner in the north and west (damper and cooler) Yoell's Copse is in a frost hollow and is always quite damp, thanks to the soil and thick canopy. Climate change may be affecting the ecology, particularly the warmer winters and summer heatwaves. This will also be a threat to the wonderful display of bluebells in the spring, they are currently flowering up to 3 weeks earlier than usual and show a decline over the last ten years. The bluebells shown above were taken about 6 years ago.

Sorbus species in Yoells Copse

The three main species found in the copse are S. aria Whitebeam

S. torminalis Wild Service

and S. aucuparia Rowan or Mountain Ash

with a rare natural hybrid between Whitebeam and Wild Service occuring - S. x vagensis often known as the Wye Whitebeam and a small number are found on the Welsh borders. Both parents occur in Yoells Copse in close proximity making this the only known location in the south for the natural hybrid where both parents species freely flower and produce fertile seed. In the picture of leaves - the top 3 are from a whitebeam, the bottom 2 are wild service and the three in the middle are from a hybrid tree in a central part of the wood.

Another important difference between the oak species is that the common oak is pollarded but rarely coppiced but the sessile oak has been coppiced in Yoells copse. In the undergrowth can be found several coppice stools mainly near the centre, some along the southern path where an area was coppiced about 5 years ago but not many have recovered. I really think that any thinning out of the trees should not be more than 10% in any one year. One theory is that it would let in more light to encourage the ground flora and help dry out the paths - I do not think it would benefit either reasons. The moisture (and mud) in winter is important and the light will encourage a greater growth of brambles and in some areas ivy.

Another factor that favours the tree species in Yoells' is the soil type - quite acid and infertile but with chalk only a few feet, a fairly unusual combination. The only other woodland locally that has a lot of sessile oaks is the Queens Enclosure in Cowplain. Here it is London Clay and the trees were planted up to 200 years ago to produce a timber crop. Recently several have been felled and sold and I understand some of the proceeds have gone towards improving the paths etc. This is quite a different situation to Yoell's Copse where a small number of regular local visitors mostly like it as it is. Encouragement of more visitors is not a good idea since there is very limited parking and the biggest threat to the trees and plants comes from heavy public use, paths are worn with numerous criss-cross diversions, the soil becomes compacted and this copse suffers from vandalism and litter of an unnatural kind. Any large scale management will involve excessive wear on the tracks by heavy vehicles which is very damaging in a wood of this size with such a delicate ecology so there has to be a delicate balance between people and wildlife. I'm always griping about something but I must say that the Countryside Rangers have made a very good job of keeping this balance so that hopefully this almost unique gem of Ancient Woodland will retain its ancient charm for many hundreds of years to come when there are so many outside threats ahead. (Climate change and the ever expanding human race)

To see a full list of all the plant species recorded in Yoell's Copse over the ten years between 1986 and 1996 click here.
The list will be revised in 2007. Many species have declined and may have disappeared, others may have spread. This winter would be a good time to study the mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi.

In Yoell's Copse the practice of coppicing has been carried on for centuries, only the methods of cutting and extracting the wood has changed. The Copse could be regarded as 'neglected' or 'derelict'. Any attempt to now restore coppice needs careful consideration. A notable feature is the old coppice stools, mostly oak and now covered in mosses and honeysuckle and gradually rotting down.

In the past, small ammounts of wood and stakes were cut - only as much as was needed, unlike today where stems of all sizes are totally removed down to ground level using a chainsaw instead of an axe and bill-hook.

Traditional coppicing involved an angled cut with a bill-hook at a comfortabel two or three feet above the ground. A half or more of the tree is left to continue growth thus reducing stress and allowing the tree to grow in a more natural way. Ted Green suggests this method originally came from observing beavers and the metre long stakes with pointed ends that they cut. Further information on traditional coppicing can be found in Ted Green's article 'Coppicing like a Beaver' in 'British Wildlife' Vol.11 No.4 pps 239-241 (Apr2000). Photographs in this article show a marked resemblance to Yoell's Copse and the pictures shown here, all taken recently in the Copse.

Old oak coppice stool taken on a frosty morning 22nd December 2006

Whitebeam stools showing new growth on the half that has been cut.

Half coppiced stool showing new growth and old retained branch observed on a guided walk in 2002.

Recently cut oak that may not survive.

Yoell's Copse seen from Frogmore Lane in 1993 before the building started.

A panarama seen from a footpath on the north side and now the only green area linking the copse to other natural habitats. May 2002

Yoell's Copse from the same position in Frogmore Lane in August 2000

Views inside this beautiful and ancient fragment of woodland, Horndean's real gem.

The lower pictures show a fine specimen of Wild Service tree on your right as you through the southern access gate. From this tree's berries a number of healthy seedlings have been grown. The abundant berries can just be seen in the last photograph. The seedlings will be planted locally in a similar environment and will keep the line of this rare native going into the future.

Surveys in 2007 We are planning to make a survey of the trees and to re-survey the ground flora during the new year. This will include, during the winter months the mosses and lichens. If any viewer would like to help in this enjoyable task (especially if they have identification skills on lichens and mosses! ) please get in touch by sending an E-mail. Click here. or phone 92592647 or Horndean Parish Council who now own and manage the copse - 92597766 (ask for Philip)

How it all started - As novice Parish Tree Wardens we met one of our first challenges in 1982 and an article appeared in the Portsmouth News in August 1994 when we starting campaigning to get someone other than builders to purchase or take over the copse. The article can be seen on the Tree Warden page.