Gordon Stephenson, Chief Technical Officer at the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, in his draft report of 31 July 1946 for the proposed new town of Stevenage stated that, “The new town is intersected by a marked valley and this in turn is linked with several fine areas of woodland. None of these should be built on.” As a result of this recommendation Fairlands Valley and most of the town’s woods, or, “springs”, as the smaller ones are known locally, were preserved by the Stevenage Development Corporation between 1946 and 1980. During this time the acreage of woodland increased from 203 acres in 1946 to 277 in 1966.

The woods of Stevenage were in the past regularly coppiced. Coppice is an ancient management regime of woodland whereby certain trees and shrubs within a wood, notably Hazel, Hornbeam, Ash and Maple are selectively cut down to their bases (stools). Cutting was carried out at seven to fifteen year intervals, producing materials for building, fences and fuel. Locally coppiced Hornbeam was used to fuel the local Maltings and, much was transported to London for domestic and industrial fuel. The wagons taking the coppiced wood to London would return with, “night soil” (sewage) which was spread on the fields locally as fertiliser. Coppicing opened up parts of a wood encouraging the growth of ground plants, which was beneficial to wildlife. Evidence of coppicing can be found in most of the woods of Stevenage.

Following the Second World War the demand for coppice timber dwindled and locally the practice ceased. This has resulted in the overgrowth of trees and shrubs, which has impoverished the ground flora of the woods and has subsequently led to a loss of wildlife. Coppicing was undertaken in, Astonbury Wood and Watery Grove in the 1970’s and 1980’s by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Knebworth House Estate carried out further coppicing in Watery Grove in the early 1990’s and, again in 2012 and 2019. Stevenage Borough Council coppiced parts of Monks Wood, Whomerley Wood, and Ashtree Wood in the mid to late 1990’s.

Local Woodland was also in the past and, in some woods still, used for the rearing and, shooting of Game Birds, notably Pheasants. In 1895 a Catherine Ann Caroline Wilkinson as the owner of Wellfield Wood was granted the right to, “enter” land adjoining the wood, now the site of Wedgewood Way for, “shooting or otherwise taking all game, wildfowl, woodcocks, snipe, quail, landrails…….being in or coming from the wood……..called Wellfield Wood”.  Particularly during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, anything that was considered as detrimental to the rearing of Game Birds was considered as, vermin, especially Birds of Prey and, Corvids. Those killed were often displayed on Gamekeepers, “gibbets” and, “larders”. Such practices of displaying vermin continued until the 1970s. In 1965 a line of birds found strung up in a spinney near Box Wood consisted of 15 Rooks and, Carrion Crows, two Little Owls, a Kestrel and, two Magpies. 

Today, in addition to lack of management, Stevenage Woods also suffer from too much Human disturbance, vandalism, and, “fly-tipping”.        

The largest wooded area within the town is the Monks Wood and Whomerley Wood (formerly known as Humley Wood) complex, which, prior to the planting of the adjoining Millennium Wood in 1999 comprised 63 acres. The main species of trees are, Hornbeam, Hazel and Hawthorn with a few scattered Oaks. The south west corner of Monks Wood was in the past cleared and planted with Conifers. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s the Stevenage Woodland Conservation Society, with the help of the Stevenage Development Corporation fenced about two acres of Whomerley Wood around the Homestead Moat earthworks to create a Bird and Wildlife Reserve. Unfortunately the Society and the fence have since disappeared. Stevenage Borough Council and the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust carried out management works in the woods in 2012. Whomerley Wood in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a favourite poaching haunt of the notorious Fox Twins.

The woodlands of Astonbury, Box Wood and Watery Grove are well studied and provide records of birds from the southern, eastern and western edges of the town. 

Astonbury Wood is an ancient semi-natural woodland which has been in existence since the 1600’s comprising 26.3 hectares owned by Hertfordshire County Council, formally a nature reserve managed jointly by the Council and the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust for educational purposes. It is predominately an Oak and Hornbeam Woodland. In 1955 part of the wood was felled and replanted with Oak, Ash, Beech, Larch, Fir, and Pine. The wood also contains several ponds and, archaeological features including several pits and, a substantial wood bank. Following a public appeal the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust took a new lease of the wood in 2023.

Box Wood was formerly managed by the Forestry Commission and, was a regular site for, “Bird Ringing”. The wood adjoins Pryors Wood which, until 2016 was a Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust Reserve. There used to be a Church in a clearing in Box Wood, which formed part of the ancient settlement of Box, but it was in ruins by 1530, and had completely disappeared by 1728. Pryors Wood comprises 10.73 hectares and is predominately old secondary Oak Woodland containing a variety of other trees such as, Hornbeam, Hazel, Ash, Field Maple, and Wild Cherry. Both Box Wood and Pryors Wood have suffered from increased disturbance from the new settlements of Chells Manor and Great Ashby.  

Watery Grove forms part of the Knebworth House Estate and was from 1968 until the mid-1980’s also managed by the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It comprises 18 hectares and is an ancient semi natural woodland of mainly Coppiced Hornbeam with Oak Standards. The wood has several ponds, an area of Willow and Sedge Swamp, and there is also a small plot of Ash with Blackthorn and Bramble known as Pear Tree Pightle. The wood is separated from the Industrial Area by the A1(m).

 At the Public Meeting about the proposed New Town with Lewis Silkin at the Town Hall in Orchard Road on 6 May 1946, Lord Lytton of Knebworth House asked for an amendment to the plans for the town so that the, “by-pass road” [the AI(m)] be diverted by 100 yards to save Watery Grove, which he said was, “a unique spot that consisted of a number of pools and marshes where wild-fowl breed in the spring,  and was the haunt of naturalists. I have a fairly large acreage of woods but only one Watery Grove”. Despite his appeal the Motorway took part of the wood and further parts could be lost if, as has been proposed, the Motorway is increased from four to six lanes.