The Wood Wardens are keen to promote a programme of monitoring the wood and the wildlife it supports. The character of any wood will change over time both naturally as trees grow, die and decay and also as a result of active management. Sherrardspark Wood is no exception. W R Hughes, in 1936, described a very different wood from the one we see today (A Hertfordshire Wood, Sherrards Park Wood 1936). Bird species of open habitats such as nightjars and willow warbler were common in the wood then, suggesting a far younger and more open wood. Today we see far more species associated with large mature trees.

Our current programme aims to monitor the natural history of the wood in order to document what is there now and to guide the current and future management of the wood. We currently record trees, levels of dead wood and plant species. We carry out surveys of birds (especially woodpeckers), butterflies, bats, deer browsing and badger setts. We have a programme to encourage dormice and monitor for signs of their activity and are now looking at the amphibians in the ponds.

All this monitoring is carried out entirely by volunteers so, if you have a particular expertise and want to get involved please get in touch.