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New England Wood Trust is a charity formed in 1980 to raise funds to buy and support New England Wood as a nature reserve for the benefit of the people of Cuckfield and the surrounding area.In 2022 the charity converted to a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) to simplify trustee administration.
The wood is maintained by a group of volunteers including some of the trustees who meet most Mondays throughout the year and most Wednesdays during winter months.
To improve access and usability for visitors we maintain 13/4 miles of paths, approximately 20 bridges and 200 steps. We also coppice and maintain clearings to provide environments for increased diversity of species.
Since early 2023 we have been felling ash trees weakened or killed by a fungal infection that causes die-back making them potentially dangerous to visitors to the wood.
Although die-back has devastated the ash tree population, we are working to turn this into an opportunity by increasing open space and planting a wider variety of trees with a focus on providing habitats to attract more species in general and more butterflies in particular.
LATEST NEWS
The purchase of the plot of land marked in red on the map opposite is nearing completion with relatively minor contract details to be finalised.
Plans are being developed for the initial work that will need to be carried out once the purchase is complete.
For more information please use the following link: New England Wood Expansion Project.
Recent works
29-Jan-26
The volunteers carried out coppicing of large, overgrown hazels in the clearing close to the Bluebell Way path.
All planned leaky dam work has been completed. For more information on the Ouse & Adur River Trust (OART) project please use the following link: Adur Adaption Project
03-Dec-25
A number of trees came down across two of the paths in the strong winds on Monday/Tuesday. Volunteers cleared the trees by logging and stacking the trunks and making brash piles from the smaller branches. Both paths are now clear but this was a timely reminder if needed, that the wood can be a dangerous place especially at this time of the year when strong winds are more common.
10-Nov to 26-Nov-25
Professional tree fellers have been working in the wood taking down more diseased ash trees.
The volunteers have been clearing the felled trees and surrounding area particularly along East Path which runs parallel to the stream at the bottom of the wood. It's hoped that by keeping this area clear, the saplings we planted last winter and other flowering plants will flourish and in turn attract more birds and insects particularly butterflies to the wood.
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