Our hosts Jim and Mary bought the wood in 2000 and initially hired contractors to clear the poplar and conifers as the objective was to restore the wood to native British trees. After three years all the conifers were removed as well as about 40% of the poplars. They then started managing the wood themselves and have been gradually felling the rest of the poplar and replanting with native trees, mostly oak but also some cherry and a few wild service trees. They discovered that some of the ash trees had become infected with ash dieback in 2007, several years before it was recognised as such. It has now infected most of the ash in the wood and is causing lots of problems. Since managing the wood, butterflies and song birds have proliferated as well as wild flowers.