Asham Wood
Encyclopedia
Asham Wood is a 140.6 hectares (347.4 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Downhead
in the Mendip Hills
, Somerset
, notified in 1963.
Asham Wood is the largest and most diverse of the ancient semi-natural woods in the Mendips. It has been the subject of controversy and attempts to protect the environment from increased quarrying activity in the area.
The wood occupies 2 deep valleys and the intervening plateau. Most of the underlying
rocks are calcareous Carboniferous Limestone
and Shales
, but Devonian
Portishead
Beds
outcrop along the northern valley. There are a range of unusual flora and fauna.
At Asham Wood near Frome coppicing and 50 dormouse
boxes have been introduced in order to encourage nesting. The boxes are monitored and dormice numbers are recorded.
Downhead
Downhead is a village and civil parish close to Leigh-on-Mendip and north east of Shepton Mallet, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the medieval settlement of Tadhill.-History:...
in the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, 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...
, notified in 1963.
Asham Wood is the largest and most diverse of the ancient semi-natural woods in the Mendips. It has been the subject of controversy and attempts to protect the environment from increased quarrying activity in the area.
The wood occupies 2 deep valleys and the intervening plateau. Most of the underlying
rocks are calcareous Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
and Shales
Shalës
Shalës is a municipality in the Elbasan District, Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Shalës, Licaj, Kurtalli, Xibrake, Xherie and Kodras....
, but Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Portishead
Portishead, Somerset
Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...
Beds
outcrop along the northern valley. There are a range of unusual flora and fauna.
At Asham Wood near Frome coppicing and 50 dormouse
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
boxes have been introduced in order to encourage nesting. The boxes are monitored and dormice numbers are recorded.