Berrydown is a single block of woodland of 55 hectares, approximately 3 miles north-east of Okehampton and is accessed from the Sampford Courtney to Okehampton road. The majority of the woodland is commercial conifer managed on a rotational basis, it is interspersed with areas of broadleaves. The woodland lies in a shallow valley and contains a watercourse flowing south to north, which is a headwater to the river Okement, which itself feeds the river Torridge. Large areas of the woodland are mid-rotation Sitka spruce on wet, acidic, gleyed soils with a significant amount of oak and hazel dominated broadleaf intrusion. Much of this is of a similar age and therefore uniform in structure and lacking diversity. The main objective within the woodland will be of productive conifer forestry, utilising continuous cover forestry principles where possible to diversify the structure, sympathetic to the ecological and cultural assets of the woodland and surrounding landscape.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-planning/abbeyford-forest-plan
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The Abbeyford Forest Plan area is made up of two separate forest blocks totalling 208 hectares in Devon. As forest blocks set within the enclosed farmed and wooded landscape they have very high natural and landscape diversity and value.
They are part of the nation's forests and stretch from Abbeyford in the west, 1 miles from Okehampton, to Berrydown in the east which is within 2 miles of Sampford Courtney.
The public forest here is a predominantly ancient woodland having been planted with conifer to address the national timber shortage of the early Twentieth Century. The area is now known to produce high quality Douglas fir which makes up the majority of the trees here supplemented primarily with beech and larch. Areas of remnant ancient semi-natural woodland do remain and are made up of oak and birch with ash and beech. Most of the areas are actively managed to provide timber for local and national businesses, and to improve the quality of the remaining tree crop.
The Plan area is a rich for ecology with habitat such as Priority Lowland Mixed Deciduous Woodland used by for dormice, bats and nightjar as well as other important flora and fauna species.
The entirety of the Plan area is Open Access, confirmed by the Countryside Rights of Way Act. Abbeyford Woods is the main focus of informal recreational activity and is particularly nice place to picnic, walk or run given its close proximity to Okehampton, good path network and fine views over the town.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/forest-planning/abbeyford-forest-plan
Woodland Trust
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/berrydown-plantation/
Map made by Grant Sherman using OpenStreetMap https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/50.7791/-3.9983
