Colliers Wood

Created on the site of the former Moorgreen Colliery, Colliers Wood is a community woodland which forms part of the Greenwood Community Forest in Nottinghamshire.

The Mayor of Broxtowe, Councillor Maureen Tewson, planted two trees to mark the creation of the site on Tuesday December 9th 1997. The trees are located next to the car park off Engine Lane (see location map) and since that day, over 17,500 trees have been planted to compliment the extensive network of footpaths, together with the wetland and wildflower areas that have been created on the site.

The woodland, which covers 14 hectares, was transferred to Broxtowe Borough Council by British Coal early in 1997, on completion of a land reclamation scheme. The area forms a significant part of the Greenwood Community Forest, and is an integral part of the Eastwood Phoenix Project. The aim is to provide outstanding recreational and wildlife resources for the local community for generations to come.

To emphasise the proud industrial heritage of the site, the opening ceremony, on May Day 1998, was undertaken by a group of former colliery workers, who planted seven oak tree saplings to commemerate the occasion. Local schoolchildren also attended the event to hopefully encourage them to explore and discover more about the new woodland as well as the mining traditions of yesteryear.

The wood has been designed to restore the woodlands and fields which existed before the mine was developed. The site was seeded with wild grasses and flowers. Hedgerows and thousands of trees were planted and two ponds were created which will become valuable habitats for wildlife. An extensive footpath network has been created using reclaimed shale from the site.

The trees in Colliers Wood will show the characteristics of local woodlands, which are usually dominated by Sessile Oak growing with Birch and Alder. Other species, such as Hazel, Rowan, Willow and Scots Pine, will also be found, beneath which Hawthorn, Guelder Rose, Dog Rose and Holly will grow. Open glades have also been created where other plants will grow.

In a young wood, the developing trees and glades will provide ideal habitats for a wide range of plants, animals and insects. Mammals such as voles, rabbits, foxes and hares will live in the wood. Summer migrant birds such as field fares and gold finches, and resident species such as meadow pipit, sky lark, tawny owl and kestrel will also be found here.

At one time, ponds were a common feature in the countryside serving farms and villages. Many birds, insects, amphibians and mammals rely on ponds for food, shelter and nesting places. A large number of ponds have been lost, and therefore the creation of new ponds is important. The two ponds at Colliers Wood have different depths of water to encourage a greater variety of plants to grow around them, and more wildlife to use them.

Around the margins of the ponds are wetland areas where different plants will grow. Shrubs and trees such as Willow and Alder will grow at the top of the bank, while further down, plants such as water mint and yellow flag iris will thrive. In the shallows, emergent plants such as reeds and rushes grow. In the deeper water, floating plants such as water lilies will establish and anchor themselves to the bottom of the pond be stems and roots.

Two trails have been created in Colliers Wood; The Blackshale Trail and The Tupton Trail. Tupton and Blackshale are the names of two seams which were mined at Moorgreen Colliery.

The Blackshale Trail retraces the industrial heritage of the site, running from the entrance at the west end of Engine Lane to the pond and wetland areas. It passses the industrial area where the winding gear and pit head of the colliery used to stand. The Blackshale seam was the last seam to be worked at Moorgreen. At a depth of over 1000 feet, it was also the deepest.

The Tupton Trail runs through the main habitat areas which have been created; the woodland, wetland and wildflower areas. The Tupton seam was worked from 1920, but production was low as the seam was badly faulted. By 1968, the seam had been closed as it was no longer economic.

Friends of Colliers Wood is a group of local people interested in the woodland, acting as a link between the community who use the area and Broxtowe Borough Council who manage the woodland.

Friends of Colliers Wood, which meets regularly, actively encourage and promote community involvement in many ways within the woodland. Why not drop in to one of their meetings?

If you are interested in finding out more about the group, then contact Friends of Colliers Wood through either "The Landscape/Environmental Technician" at Broxtowe Borough Council on 0115 917 7777 or British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Conservation Training Centre, Chestnut Grove, Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, NG14 5DZ. Telephone - 0115 931 3316. E-mail: Nottinghamshire@btcv.org.uk