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Northfield Wood is an area of mixed woodland with special wildlife interest which extends over 33.15 ha (81.91 acres).
The wood was originally a hunting reserve for the local Lords of the Manor. It was sold by the Pettiward Estate to the Forestry Commission who chain-sawed all the ancient woodland and planted conifers. During WW 2, tanks were hidden amongst the trees prior to D-Day. Near the entrance are the rusting remains of the wireless cabin where the troops awaited the call to move. The wood is now owned by the Woodland Trust whose members are restoring it to ancient broadleaved trees - it includes forty-six of the fifty species used as indicators of ancient woodland The deer pool still exists in a clearing and some traces of the old structures can still be found. Opening up the wood has led to the regeneration of orchids and other wild flowers. Unfortunately the muntjac deer are voracious eaters and clear these flowers as soon as they appear.
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