Trees

The Norsey Wood Society works closely with Basildon Borough Council, the owners of Norsey Wood Nature Reserve, an ancient woodland which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the edge of Billericay in Essex, UK

Trees

The Trees of Norsey Wood

The commonest of the large trees in Norsey Wood is almost certainly the Sweet Chestnut. There are many other large trees in the wood and these include Oak(Pedunculate & Sessile), Hornbeam, Ash, Larch, Birch, Sycamore, Aspen, Beech, Crack Willow, Goat Willow, Holly, Rowan, Horse Chestnut, one Crab Apple, one Lime, one Black Poplar and two Lombardy Poplars. Other smaller trees include Elder, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Yew, Alder Buckthorn, Wild Cherry, Wild Service, Field Maple, Guelder Rose, Osier, Wayfaring, and Spindle tree.

Many of the trees have been photographed showing details such the bark, leaves, flowers and fruit. These can be seen along with more details of the species by following the appropriate links - in purple above.

Sweet Chestnut - Castanea sativa

The Sweet Chestnut Tree is the dominant tree in many areas of Norsey Wood. It is not a native tree and was probably introduced from Italy by the Romans. It can grow up to 30m. It is regularly coppiced to produce small, straight poles used in hop-fields and for fencing. The wood has a natural preservative which makes it ideal for making garden furniture.

The bark is greyish-brown and often has spiral fissures. The long catkins have many yellowish male flowers in the upper part and female flowers grouped in threes towards the base. Ripe fruit are edible chestnuts.

More details are available in this PDF

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Sweet Chestnut trees

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Sweet Chestnut bark

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Sweet Chestnuts

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Sweet Chestnut Flowers

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Sessile Oak

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Large Ash and Pedunculate oak

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Oak tree bark

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Acorns (Pedunculate)

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Acorns (Sessile)

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Sessile (Quercus petraea) & Pedunculate (Quercus robur) Oaks

Nationally the Pedunculate or English Oak Is the most common oak, but there are more Sessile Oaks in Norsey Wood, than there are Pedunculate, and there are possibly some hybrids. The crown of the Pedunculate Oak is composed of crooked branches and is very open. Sessile Oaks have a straighter growth habit and more regular branches. The acorns of the two oaks differ, those of the Sessile Oak having no or very little stalk, while those of Pedunculate Oaks have a long stalk (peduncle). The leaves also differ, the Pedunculate ones have auricles (ear-like lobes) at the base, and a short stalk. The base of the leaves of Sessile Oaks taper into the leaf-stalk which is longer.

For more information see pdf for Pedunculate or Sessile.

Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Hornbeams are handsome trees with a smooth, generally deeply fluted bark. In most trees a cross-section of the trunk is regular and almost circular. However, a cross-section of hornbeam has an irregular shape. Most of the hornbeams in Norsey Wood have been coppiced for a long time and one is possibly the oldest surviving tree in the wood.The fruits are very distinctive, each nut is half-enclosed by a three-lobed wing, which helps its distribution by wind. The nuts are longitudinally ribbed. Hornbeam leaves are alternate and oval in shape, 4- 10cm long, sharply pointed, rounded at the base with sharply double-toothed margins.

For more information see pdf.