This campaign has now closed
To save one of the last large ancient woodlands in Dorset by purchasing it for the benefit of the public, managing it for wildlife and undertaking woodland restoration work, whilst converting it into a public access site that will also be a hub for sustainable woodland management.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Ancient woodland is our richest terrestrial wildlife habitat. However, 60% has been lost since 1945 and the remaining areas are fragmented. A rare opportunity has come up to purchase one of Dorset’s few remaining large ancient woods. Ilsington Wood, at around 80 hectares is one of the largest remaining ancient woods in the county and with no legal protection it has an uncertain future. Much has already been lost and the wood is now half its original size
Solution
By purchasing this wood on behalf of Dorset’s public, Dorset Wildlife Trust will ensure its protection for the future, restore it for nature and create the only open access ancient woodland site in the centre of the county. The wood will then become the hub for landscape scale woodland restoration in the area, establishing a network of interconnected woodland habitats and a community asset by establishing it as a working woodland with sustainable management of timber and timber products.