About the reserve

Closure of New England Wood nature reserve to the public

Devon Wildlife Trust has taken the difficult decision to close its New England Wood nature reserve (near Ivybridge) to the public with immediate effect.

The closure is due to risks to public safety. A recent expert inspection of the reserve revealed that many of its ash trees are suffering severe effects from ash dieback disease. This has made some trees unsafe.

New England Wood nature reserve has a high number of ash trees. The inspection highlighted that many had shown rapid deterioration since a previous inspection undertaken a year ago. The risk to the safety of visitors means Devon Wildlife Trust has now decided to close the nature reserve to the public until further notice.

Temporary closure will allow Devon Wildlife Trust to undertake tree safety work. It plans to re-open parts of the site as soon as it is possible and safe to do so.

No public rights of way are affected by the nature reserve’s closure.

If you’d like to contact Devon Wildlife Trust about the temporary closure of New England Wood nature reserve email contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org

New England Wood has an interesting recent history and would have been lost to development if not for the campaigning and generous support of local people.

Until recently the area had been owned by an aggregates company who used part of it as a quarry. However when the quarry ceased to operate an application was made for a change of use. If successful, this would have led to the woodland being lost to a new development. It was then that a determined group of local people successfully campaigned for a different future for the wildlife haven. 

NOTICE: If you are visiting our reserves, please note that there have been instances of H5N1 Avian bird flu found in birds in Devon. There is very low risk to public health, but we do ask that if you come across any unusual or unexplained bird deaths on or near our reserves, please do not touch them and avoid allowing your dog to come into contact with dead birds. Please report them to Defra here or call 03459 335577 and also report your findings to DWT by email at contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org.