About Wytham Woods

Wytham Woods is where we do much of our work, so here is a little bit about it.

You can find the map of the Woods on the Woods website here.

The Wytham Estate has been owned and maintained by the University of Oxford since 1942. It’s unique in the world, because it’s been the subject of continuous ecological research programmes, some dating back to the 1940s. In 2022 there was a lot of news coverage for the Wytham Tit Project, which because it has been going so long, has been able to show some very clear changes in the nesting behaviour of the birds.

The wooded parts of the Wytham Estate comprise ancient semi-natural woodland (dating to the last Ice Age), secondary woodland (dating to the seventeenth century), and modern plantations (1950s and 60s). The fourth key habitat is the limestone grassland found at the top of the hill. Other smaller habitats include a valley-side fen and a series of ponds.

The site is exceptionally rich in flora and fauna, with over 500 species of plants, over 150 species of birds, and 800 species of butterflies and moths. Wytham Woods are often quoted as being one of the most researched pieces of woodland in the world. Covering 1000 acres, they are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Woods have been used by researchers both from the University and around the world for wildlife and environmental research, some of which provides data going back several decades. The graphic from the Wytham Woods website shows when some of the key research projects began.