Ufford
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
Parklands Wood originated from parkland and was once part of the Ufford Place estate laid out in the 17th century and owned by the Brooke/Blois families. The house was demolished in the mid-1950s and during WW2 the army built a tank development workshop and a number of Nissen Huts on the site and many of the hut bases remain today. The 8.12 ha wood was purchased by Ufford Parish Council from Suffolk Coastal District council in 2014.
The wood is managed today for biodiversity providing a number of paths for public access for the benefit of the local community
It is largely native and deciduous and contains some veteran trees of oak, lime and sweet chestnut along with younger specimens of ash, elm, hazel, hawthorn, crab apple, plumb, bird cherry, blackthorn, elder, spindle, hornbeam and rowan. There is a single redwood, following the felling of the other for safety reasons. You can follow the carving trail made from chainsaw carvings of the trunk.
The woodland is managed for biodiversity in accordance with a Forestry Commission approved management plan to create a sustainable, uneven aged structure with a multi layered canopy. The plan was updated in 2025 by the Parklands Wood Steering Group and following a visit from the Forestry Commission, was approved, lasts for 10 years and includes a felling license.
The wood was thinned in 2022 and since then we have seen an abundance of wild flowers bringing with them many species of birds not seen in the woods for many years.
There are regular working parties of local volunteers who work to implement the plan including keeping the paths clear and open, reducing invasive species, creating habitats, and planting saplings. See Working Parties page for more details.
It is important to remember that trees have be felled for safety reasons and thinned to give other specimens a better chance of survival especially in long hot summers when we also have to contend with drought. We often intentionally leave dead trees standing; reduced for safety and cut to provide a crucial habitat for insects, birds, bats, fungi and lichens. A single large dead oak can support over 2300 species providing an entire ecosystem with life supported all the way down to its roots. You will often see a greater spotted woodpecker drumming or pecking the trees for insects.
We continue to battle the climate and what it throws at us but we have to remember that the wood is not just for us here and now it is also for the 100 years and beyond.
Building a stumpery comprising of mainly oak and sweet chestnut branches primarily for stag beetles but also for pollinators, frogs, toads and small mammals. It involves digging a large hole 30-40cm deep and burying the logs on end with the other end sticking up. Stag beetles lay their eggs underground and the larvae feed on rotting wood. The project was featured in Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s WildSuffolk magazine.
We planted over 70 sapling between November-February and 42 of them were hazels.
We have an abundance of nettle and bramble in the wood that we continue to clear for more small tree planting but nettle supports 5 species of butterfly and bramble is good for small bird nesting so we won’t be clearing it all.
The Parish Council are aware of a number of Tyre/Rope Swings that have been set up in Parklands Wood.
The Council take no responsibility or liability for these and politely ask that the person/people who put them up, remove them at their earliest convenience as they are unlikely to want to take on the responsibility for them, especially any potential injury claim they may cause; the Parish Council’s insurance policy would not cover any injury or liability relating to these swings.
