Foxes Bridge Bog

Foxes Bridge Bog is a 5.3 ha nature reserve in Gloucestershire. The site is owned by the Forestry Commission and is managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in partnership with the Forestry Commission. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).Location and habitatThe bog lies in the heart of the Forest of Dean, and is separated from the Woorgreens Lake and Marsh nature reserve by the B4226. The site has been a nature reserve since 1977, and represents the remains of an ancient acid bog which historically covered this area. This is one of the rarest habitats in the county. It is in the Coal Measures (in a depression), is on alluvium and fed by a stream from the north. The water levels are controlled by sluice, and are linked to the Woorgreens Lake and Marsh reserve.The reserve is a significant example of a sphagnum bog and also supports a wide range of lichens. These grow on the trees and exposed rocks. This is a sheltered site though open in aspect.HistoryThe oak woodland which surrounds the bog was planted c. 1860. There were two attempts to sink two mining pits in the 1830s and to construct an embankment to the west. This did not come to fruition and was part of a plan to construct a railway which also failed. There was a threat in 1978 from a proposed Woorgreens open-cast mine proposal which was averted. This would have affected the water supply. The outcome was the control system now operating for the water levels between the two reserves. There is a drainage channel running through the centre of Foxes Bridge Bog.

Tags: Landmark & Historical Place