Snelsmore Common

51°26′10″N 1°20′24″W / 51.436°N 1.340°W / 51.436; -1.340InterestBiologicalArea104.0 hectares (257 acres)^[1]Notification1989^[1]Location mapMagic Map

Snelsmore Common is a 104-hectare (260-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Newbury in Berkshire.^[1][2] It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.^[3]

This is a country park which has diverse habitats, including dry heath, wet heath, bog, birch woods and ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland. The bog has a 5,000 year old layer of peat which has been studied stratigraphically to show changes in ancient land use and vegetation. An area of wet alder woodland has many lichens, including a rich community which grows on trees, such as Parmelia caperarta, Pertusaria pertusa and Lecanactis abietina.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Designated Sites View: Snelsmore Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
2. ^ "Map of Snelsmore Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
3. ^ "Snelsmore Common Country Park". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
4. ^ "Snelsmore Common citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 October 2019.

BiologicalGeological