🌳 Expanding Our Woodland Haven: A New Chapter Next to Howes Wood
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news — The Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust has recently purchased an additional section of woodland next to Howes Wood!
This beautiful new area is a natural gem, rich in hazel and well-grown beech, alongside a variety of cone-bearing conifers that provide excellent year-round habitat for our native red squirrels. It’s already proving to be a valuable extension to our conservation work at Howes Wood, creating more connected and protected space for wildlife to thrive.
The woodland is wonderfully wild — it took some effort (and a few brave passes with the chainsaw!) to cut a rough path through the dense growth. One more session with Steve and the chainsaw should make it ready for Rod and the digger to help with careful access improvements.
We’re also very grateful to Simon Howes, who kindly donated a hefty brushcutter to tackle the bramble — a huge help as we prepare the site for future restoration work.
What makes this woodland truly special, though, is its incredible moss and lichen — some of the best we’ve seen anywhere on the Island. These delicate species are fantastic indicators of clean air and ancient woodland health, and we’ll be doing everything we can to preserve them.
Apart from making safe the few unstable trees and tidying up fallen or dead wood, we’ll be keeping our interventions minimal. The goal is to maintain the woodland’s natural beauty while supporting biodiversity and creating a thriving, safe haven for red squirrels and other wildlife.
The only trees that would be suitable for selective thinning are those along the track — and even there, we’ll keep the growth thick to provide shelter and nesting opportunities.
This new purchase marks another important step in our mission to protect and restore red squirrel habitat on the Isle of Wight. With your continued support, we’re steadily growing a lasting legacy of conservation and education for generations to come.
📸 Scroll down to see the photos of our new woodland and its incredible mosses and trees.
💚 If you’d like to help us care for this new addition and continue expanding vital red squirrel habitat, please consider making a donation today: