27th August 2026
ATF Essex Report – Visit to Garnett’s Wood
by James Chambers
Image: giant lime coppice
ATF Essex local recently had another lovely veteran tree walk in an ancient woodland. It was a lovely day for a stroll, sunny, but with the shade under the trees providing a respite from the heat. Garnetts wood is an ancient woodland and SSSI for its coppice trees, including the now rare small leaved lime trees.
Image: James Chambers in the decayed void
The wood is owned and managed by the local authority, who still manage it as a coppice. This gave us the opportunity to see coupes in different stages, some recently cut, others approaching their next harvest. We wandered around viewing multiple different species which had been coppiced for different purposes, as well as ancient wood boundaries and trees cut higher than usual, probably as boundary markers.
Image: ancient hornbeam coppice
Later we enjoyed a packed lunch in the shade of some ancient trees, before continuing our walk around the boundary of the woods. Other points of interest included fallen trees with possible indications of colonisation by Gymnopus fusipes. And a tree with Gymnopus fusipies fungal fruiting bodies by each buttress root! Would this tree be the next to fail?
Image: fungi on roots
And as a special treat for the finale we tracked through the site to find the mysterious Torminalis glabberima – the wild service tree! An ancient woodland indicator species, once more common but now a rare find. It’s off the beaten track and it was a pleasure to admire it for a while.
Image: the group with the wild service tree
Thanks as always go to our attendees, with special thanks to the neighbouring farmer who kindly granted us permission to park on their land while in the woods.
ATF Essex will be back for our next walk very soon!
