The Wood by John Lewis-Stempel review - a fortress against agribusiness

Pheasants, pigs, sparrowhawks and holly share a handful of acres in this heartfelt and evocative diary of a year among the trees"A wood should not be a museum," says John Lewis-Stempel. For four years he managed Cockshutt Wood in south-west Herefordshire, three and a half acres of deciduous and coniferous woodland "with a secluded pool where the winter moon lives". This is his diary of his final year there.Such small woods play a vital role in the life of our countryside: they are the last refuge of many flora and fauna. Grassland sustains 70 pairs of birds per 100 acres but a wood is home to 400. Woods are "fortresses of nature against the tide of people and agribusiness". Continue reading...