Ostler's Plantation is a woodland east of

Woodhall Spa Woodhall Spa is a former spa town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, south-west of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, Horncastle, west of Skegness, east-south-east o ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

on Kirkby Moor. It has public access and lies to the west of an open area of

Lowland Heath Lowland heath is a Biodiversity Action Plan habitat as it is a type of ancient wild landscape. Natural England's Environmental Stewardship scheme describes lowland heath as containing dry heath, wet heath and valley mire communities, usually below ...

, the Kirkby Moor Nature Reserve; both are noted for having large numbers of adders. The whole site is open to the public throughout the year, although some areas may be restricted during harvesting. It is a popular area for walking, horse riding and cycling with organised mountain biking and archery events held. There is no direct access to the adjoining nature reserves from the woodland - these have to be accessed by going back onto Kirkby Lane.

History

19th Century

The plantation was originally planted in the early 19th century by John Parkinson on an area of open moorland. After his bankruptcy in 1827 his former agent, William Ostler, became its owner.

20th Century

The majority of the woodland was acquired by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...

in 1938 with the south west corner added in 1971. Today managed by

Forestry England Forestry England is a division of the Forestry Commission, responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England. Forest Enterprise, the precursor to Forestry England, was originally formed as a Great Britain-wide organizati ...

and still used as a commercial plantation with periodic harvesting.

Second World War

In 1942

RAF Woodhall Spa Royal Air Force Woodhall Spa, or more simply RAF Woodhall Spa, is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located north of Coningsby, Lincolnshire and southeast of Lincoln, England, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. History Constructed on ...

was built immediately to the south of the woodland with many of the bomb dumps, aprons and other associated buildings being built into the edge of the woodland. Much of these still remain as tracks and overgrown ruins.

Piri Piri Burr

The woodland has become home to the invasive Piri Piri Burr ''(Acaena novae-zelandiae)'' brought over by airmen from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

during the ''

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

''. Efforts are underway to control and remove the plant.

Snake bites

On 18 April 2009 a 7-year-old boy was bitten by an adder after handling it while walking in the woods. After receiving hospital treatment at

Lincoln County Hospital Lincoln County Hospital is a large district general hospital on the eastern edge of north-east Lincoln, England. It is the largest hospital in Lincolnshire, and offers the most comprehensive services in Lincolnshire. It is managed by the United ...

he made a full recovery; however it reignited concern over the danger of snakes. Although adders are a protected species, many local people believe that there should be adequate warning signs and that they should be under control. A lack of

anti-venom Anti-Venom is a fictional antihero appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #569 (August 2008), and was created by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. The creature belongs to a race of amorp ...

has also been highlighted. Over the past years a number of dogs have also been bitten.

Fauna and Flora

Species resident or visitors to the woodland include:

Reptiles

Adder ''Vipera berus'', also known as the common European adder Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . and the common European viper, ...

(''Vipera berus'') *

Grass Snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian semi-aquatic non- venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecie ...

(''Natrix helvetica'') *

Slow Worm The common slow worm (''Anguis fragilis'') is a species of legless lizard native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, steelworm, and hazelworm. The "blind" in blindworm refers to the lizar ...

(''Anguis fragilis'') *

Common Lizard The viviparous lizard or common lizard (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara'') is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other non-marine reptile species, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it give ...

(''Zootoca vivipara'')

Bats

* Natterers Bat * Noctule Bat * Common Pipestrelle * Soprano Pipestrelle Bat * Brown Long Eared Bat * Wiskered Bat * Daubentons Bat * Barbastelle Bat

References

External links

*{{cite web, title=OSTLERS PLANTATION, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-520000-363000/page/16, work=Domesday reloaded, publisher=BBC, accessdate=28 April 2013 Forests and woodlands of Lincolnshire Woodhall Spa