Surrey's woodlands

In terms of percentage land cover, Surrey is the most wooded county in England with 22.4% or 37564 ha of the land under woodland cover (excluding woodlands under 2 ha).

There are two main influences that determine the type and amount of woodland in the county. The geology/soils and the influence of man.

The geology/soils not only influence the species you find but, depending on how fertile and workable the soil is, whether the land use is likely to be woodland or agriculture. Surrey does not have a large amount of good agricultural land, and therefore has a large amount of woodland.

Woodland Cover %

UK - 11.8
England - 8.4
South East - 14.1
Surrey - 22.4

Surrey's woodland cover has been increasing steadily since at least 1947 mainly due to scrub development on heathland and downland, associated with the decline in grazing. Woodland cover is by no means evenly spaced across the county, with a mere 1% cover in the northern Borough of Spelthorne contrasting with 38.5% cover for the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Surrey Hills area is the most wooded AONB in the country, the woodland being an integral component of the landscape character.

The Surrey Woodland Study 2008 describes Surrey's woodlands today, has an analysis of the issues facing them, and action proposals to deal with the major issues.