Woodland is an important component of the landscape of the Isle of Wight National Landscape, covering 1537 ha (8%) of the designation, of which 644 ha is managed by the Forestry Commission. Whilst these include some plantation woodland, most are smaller broadleaved woods and copses. The majority of woodlands are located on wetter soils and are a dominant landscape feature north of the central chalk ridge. Where they do occur near the chalk downland or sandstone hills they tend to be on steep slopes that are difficult to farm. Secondary woodland areas are also found in the Isle of Wight NL where land has been unmanaged for many years and particularly on coastal slopes where many have become important landscape features.
Ancient woodland means woodland that has been present on that site since at least 1600AD, making them an important historic landscape feature and a reflection of the continuation of the value of woodland for people. They are also considered to be important for biodiversity.
Woodland in the Isle of Wight NL is generally under-managed and timber production is a marginal activity. Amenity use and the wildlife value of woodland are of increasing importance, with some woodlands being managed by charitable organisations specifically for wildlife.
A significant proportion of the Isle of Wight NL woodland is classified as Ancient Woodland. This means woodland has been present on that site since at least 1600AD, making them an important historic landscape feature and a reflection of the continuation of the value of woodland for people. They are also considered to be important for biodiversity. A number of these woodlands are referred to as Planted Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) where the woodland has been modified by the removal of native species and planted up with non-natives, usually conifers. The revised Isle of Wight provisional Ancient Woodland Inventory, published in 2014, gives us an up to date understanding of the abundance and distribution of ancient woodland which contributes to the overall landscape character. Ancient woodland is considered an ‘irreplaceable’ habitat in the National Planning Policy Framework 2023 which confers protection in the planning system.
