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Lloyds Coppice, Ironbridge Gorge - Severn Gorge Countryside Trust

Lloyds Coppice, Ironbridge Gorge - Severn Gorge Countryside Trust

Lloyds Coppice, Ironbridge Gorge - Severn Gorge Countryside Trust

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THE SONG OF THE COPPICEThroughout its history <strong>Lloyds</strong> <strong>Coppice</strong> became renowned forthe recurring presence of a distinctive song, one of the mostalluring in Nature: the song of the nightingale. Local peoplewould travel miles on a summer night to listen to themagical notes of the nightingale which had one of themost northerly nesting sites in Britain here. In recentdecades the nightingales failed to return and now their songis silent. When the Telford Development Corporation tookover <strong>Lloyds</strong> <strong>Coppice</strong> in the 1980s attempts were made toreplicate traditional coppice management of the woods toprovide the ideal habitat for nightingales. But for mysterious reasons thenightingales have still not returned. This depletion in the natural range of thesebirds is not just a local issue but a national and international one. Other reasons forreinstating coppice management were to create greater diversity in the specieswhich depend on light penetrating the dense tree canopy and also the economicuse of local green timber.The <strong>Severn</strong> <strong>Gorge</strong> <strong>Countryside</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> took over the management of <strong>Lloyds</strong> <strong>Coppice</strong>in 1991. It inherited ancient semi-naturalwoodland, patches of acidic grassland,archaeological remains, plantations,footpaths, increasing urban pressures,previous regimes of woodland management,conservation priorities and the ghosts ofthose who laboured here for centuries.The <strong>Trust</strong> aims to balance the conservationof landscape, wildlife and public access andalso to reinforce the cultural importance ofthis very special place.NightingaleSome areas of <strong>Lloyds</strong> <strong>Coppice</strong> will bemanaged and some allowed to managethemselves. People and Nature have alwaysplayed a part in shaping this place and willcontinue to do so.

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