About Stansted Forest
For hundreds of years sweet chestnut has been managed in Stansted Forest.
We are delighted that Stansted Park has won the Royal Forestry Society Duke of Cornwall Excellence in Forestry Award 2010 for multipurpose woodland management.
The most common and important forest product has been cleft stakes for fencing to keep in livestock and at one time hundreds of thousands of stakes were produced every year to supply this need and give employment to numerous coppice workers.
The areas to be worked would be ideally cut in the winter when the sap is down. In spring dozens of new shoots would appear around the base of the cut stools and would grow vigorously sometimes to six or seven feet in the first season. The area would be ready to cut again between fourteen and sixteen years later.
Conservation and wildlife
Alongside commercial benefits, an attractive patchwork of different ages of coppice builds up to create a pleasing subtly changing landscape.
Wildlife benefits as spring flowers such as wood anemone and primrose bloom in profusion on newly cut areas and foxgloves make a show in years two and three. Butterflies and other insects thrive in the newly created glades and birds find nest sites as the re-growth reaches a thicket stage.
Later when the canopy closes and less light reaches the woodland floor fungi find the damp conditions more suitable and specialist insects make use of the area.
Sweet Chestnut Coppice products
Stansted Park Foundation cuts an area of coppice annually for use on the estate to sustain the ancient coppice system. The installation of a bio-fuel heating system for the mansion and ancillary buildings, using wood chips as a renewable fuel, has kick- started this process. Between eight-ten acres are cut per annum to fuel the boiler.
We also promote the use of this truly sustainable natural product with very low transport miles. It can be used split or in the round for many garden applications such as pergolas and fruit frames. For an enclosed stove it makes an excellent source of fuel.
Users of our chestnut products are helping the continuation of a low impact woodland management system with benefits for the landscape and wildlife.
For more information about Stansted Forest chestnut products and prices please contact the Head Forester on 023 92 41 2265.
Access information: We welcome walkers to Stansted Forest.
There are many footpaths and bridleways across the Stansted Estate, including the Sussex Border Path.
Some areas are closed to the public to protect wildlife, and dogs must always be kept under close control. Please respect notices of closure due to temporary forest works.
Public car parks are open until 5pm and refreshments are available at the Pavilion Tea Room in the Walled Gardens
(tel 02392 41 3432). See the 'Visitors' page for House opening times
Click here to find us on Google Maps. Postcode: PO9 6DX
To see an O.S. map of footpaths and bridleways click here. O.S ref: SU 761 103
For a West Sussex CC interactive map of local access and amenities, follow this link.
"Thank you for allowing such a good degree of public access, on both Rights of Way but also on permissive paths. It is a lovely area and I really value having it on my doorstep - a walk up the Avenue or through the woodlands always lifts my spirits and helps me forget any stresses I may have" Happy Walker