Trees that had been planted too closely together kept growing taller and taller as they tried to out-compete their neighbours. Lack of light caused their lower branches to lose leaves and die, leaving whole areas with only slender tree trunks standing like a parade of soldiers, an arm's length apart. The bushes and brambles had largely disappeared, and the impenetrable areas were no longer there.

Thus, the Trustees decided to set aside approximately 2,500m² of the woodland near Townfield Lane to be allowed to go "wild." Fortunately, the area is bounded on two sides adjacent to the horse walk by the Trust's post and rail fence, and sheep netting was added to ensure unwanted creatures are excluded. The northerly and eastern sides of the area are bordered by chestnut paling fencing, with an access gate on the corner. Access is restricted to allow our shyer creatures to thrive. The goal was to have a "managed wilding" rather than simply allowing the area to develop through benevolent neglect. How we've gone about this will be discussed in the next article.