How Wytham looks this week

The photograph is taken within the ECN Target Sampling Site (TSS) located on the northern side of Wytham Wood (U.K. National Grid Reference SP45 09, altitude 65m).

The TSS is located in an area of ancient woodland (believed to have never been cleared) with abandoned hazel (Corylus avellana) coppice with oak (Quercus robur) standards (full height trees).  The soil is a deep heavy clay (Denchworth series) which is often waterlogged in winter. 

The photograph shows the multi-stemmed hazel stools with an oak standard on the left-hand side. To the left of centre there is a willow (Salix caprea) leaning across the picture, with a small hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) tree behind it. The grass is mainly Tufted hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) with some Wood false-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum). The dead wood is left where it falls.

The pictures are taken on weekly sampling trips to the site with a Fujifilm FinePix F30 digital camera, which is set to a focal length of 8mm (equivalent to 36mm on a 35mm camera).

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