Aller and Beer Woods
Encyclopedia
Aller and Beer Woods is a 56.9 hectares (141 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. off the A372 Othery
to Langport
road near Aller
in Somerset
. It was notified in 1952.
This Somerset Wildlife Trust
reserve, which is about 3.5 kilometres (2 mi) north-west of Langport
and 11 kilometres (7 mi) south-east of Bridgwater
, consists of large blocks of semi-natural ancient woodland
along the west-facing slope of Aller Hill
, overlooking King's Sedgemoor
. The reserve is about 40 ha (99 acres) and the underlying geology of most of it is Lias limestone
. Prior to the twentieth century it appears to have been managed for centuries as traditional coppice woodland.
Aller and Beer Woods are outstanding examples of ancient, escarpment woodland managed in a traditional coppice-with-standards system. The woodland is a variant of the Calcareous Ash
/Wych Elm stand-type, with Pedunculate Oak
(Quercus robur), and
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) the dominant canopy trees throughout, and with scattered concentrations of Wych Elm
(Ulmus glabra). Ancient woodland indicators include Small-leaved Lime
(Tilia cordata), and Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis), both of which are locally common. Plants of particular interest include Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) and the very rare Red Data Book species Purple Gromwell (Buglossoides purpurocaerulea).
Nearby is the Aller Hill
SSSI.
Othery
The parish and village of Othery, established in 1515, sits on a detached extension of Sowy island on the Somerset Levels. It is east of Bridgwater and north-west of Langport. It borders the hamlets and villages of Pathe, Burrowbridge, Middlezoy, Westonzoyland and Aller, which it meets at Beer Wall...
to Langport
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 1,067. The parish includes the hamlets of Bowdens and Combe...
road near Aller
Aller, Somerset
Aller is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton on the A372 road towards Bridgwater in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 374...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. It was notified in 1952.
This Somerset Wildlife Trust
Somerset Wildlife Trust
Somerset Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Somerset, England.The trust, which was established in 1964, aims to safeguard the county's wildlife and wild places for this and future generations and manages almost 80 nature reserves. Examples include Fyne Court, Westhay Moor,...
reserve, which is about 3.5 kilometres (2 mi) north-west of Langport
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 1,067. The parish includes the hamlets of Bowdens and Combe...
and 11 kilometres (7 mi) south-east of Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, consists of large blocks of semi-natural ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
along the west-facing slope of Aller Hill
Aller Hill
Aller Hill is a 18.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Aller in Somerset, notified in 1988.The site contains three species of plant which are nationally rare and a further three which are of restricted distribution in Somerset...
, overlooking King's Sedgemoor
King's Sedgemoor
King's Sedgemoor is a piece of rich animal habit and farming land, that forms part of the Somerset Levels in South West England.The area of King's Sedgemoor fell within the Whitley Hundred,...
. The reserve is about 40 ha (99 acres) and the underlying geology of most of it is Lias limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Prior to the twentieth century it appears to have been managed for centuries as traditional coppice woodland.
Aller and Beer Woods are outstanding examples of ancient, escarpment woodland managed in a traditional coppice-with-standards system. The woodland is a variant of the Calcareous Ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
/Wych Elm stand-type, with Pedunculate Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
(Quercus robur), and
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) the dominant canopy trees throughout, and with scattered concentrations of Wych Elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
(Ulmus glabra). Ancient woodland indicators include Small-leaved Lime
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
(Tilia cordata), and Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis), both of which are locally common. Plants of particular interest include Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) and the very rare Red Data Book species Purple Gromwell (Buglossoides purpurocaerulea).
Nearby is the Aller Hill
Aller Hill
Aller Hill is a 18.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Aller in Somerset, notified in 1988.The site contains three species of plant which are nationally rare and a further three which are of restricted distribution in Somerset...
SSSI.