The woodland would have played an integral part of Verwood people's lives in relatively recent times. Trees were felled for timber, and the ancient coppice re-growth used to make many products such as thatching spars, hurdles and charcoal. These traditional uses and forms of management have helped to shape the woodland over centuries, and coincidentally provided various stages of growth within the wood to create a wonderfully diverse habitat for the plants, insects and animals living there.

Owner: East Dorset District Council

Managed by: East Dorset Countryside Management Service

Site designation:

• Local Nature Reserve
• Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Grid reference: SU 088 087

Nearest town: Verwood

Size (Ha): Six Ha

Nearest bus stop: Manor Road, Wilts and Dorset bus route numbers X36, 134, 136

Nearest train station: Bournemouth (15 miles)

Habitats: semi-natural ancient woodland

Look out for: Plants such as wood anemone, bluebell, bog myrtle and cow wheat cover the woodland floor in spring, whilst around 20 different species of tree and shrub, 65 species of flowering plant, and over 40 species of bird have been recorded here.

Parking: cars can be parked in the corner of Verwood Leisure Centre car park.

Accessibility: The main path through the Copse is of a reasonable steep gradient, there are squeeze stiles on some of the paths.

Facilities: dog bins at each entrance to the site

How to get there:

From Verwood village centre, follow signs for Three-Legged Cross, either down Manor Road or Black Hill and Burnbake Road (NOT Newtown Road). At Morrisons roundabout, enter Morrisons car park and drive past the row of shops and the leisure centre to park at the far side of the car park.

From Three-legged Cross, follow signs for Verwood (Manor Road, B3072). When you get to Morrisons roundabout, enter Morrisons car park and drive past the shops and the leisure centre to park at the far side of the car park.

Management plan:

Bugdens Copse management works continue to ensure the survival and enhancement of this important ecological site. The reintroduction of traditional forms of management, such as coppicing, hedge-laying, maintaining ditch networks and creating glades, aims to benefit the established diversity of wildlife found within the copse. The woodland management works are in part funded by Higher Level Stewardship.

As the copse enjoys such a central position within Verwood, with adjacent footpath and cycle links from the surrounding housing developments to many local amenities, it is also important to maintain access for the enjoyment of local people. New Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant footpaths to improve access to the woodland have been installed.

The smaller trees within the Copse (the understorey) were regularly cut back to produce fine poles that were used in construction and fencing, this technique is known as coppicing. When a suitable tree is coppiced (cut back to ground level) the roots remain and send out vigorous new shoots the following year.

Over the last year the Rangers of East Dorset Countryside Management Service have, with the help of local volunteers, concentrated on coppicing a block of the woodland in the east of the site. Watch out this year for the new shoots on the Hazel stools (stumps) and the beginnings of plant cover across the woodland floor now there is so much sunlight reaching it. The coppiced areas have been fenced to prevent the local Deer eating the tasty new shoots.

If you would like to find out more about future management plans for Bugdens Copse, please contact Matt Reeks at Moors Valley Country Park on 01425 470721, or e-mail mreeks@eastdorset.gov.uk