Natural Goldsworth Park is working with Woking Borough Council and Thames Water who own the woodland to implement a coordinated management strategy for their respective areas. A key aspect will be identifying opportunities for local residents to volunteer their assistance in realising the strategy’s goals. These may include:
• Controlling the presence of the invasive Cherry Laurel and other non-native species
• Removing the existing Cherry Laurel screen planting along the north side of the Lake which has been the source of the plant’s incursion into the woods and replacing with native species e.g. hazel, hawthorn
• Improving the abundance and diversity of ground level vegetation within the woods, particularly in the open areas, to provide cover for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals
• In conjunction with tree maintenance activities, creating log piles and other wildlife habitats using the resulting waste materials
• Regular clearance of litter
• As knowledge of the habitat develops, providing information boards describing resident plant, insect, bird and animal species present in the woods
In 2020, Thames Water created a new walk through the south woodland area and provided woodchip surfacing over a couple of the minor paths. At the time of writing it is not intended to create any further paths in order to minimise human disturbance of wildlife in the woods.