St Leonard's Forest SSSI
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
.jpg) | |
| Location | West Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ 212 301[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 85.4 hectares (211 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1987[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
St Leonard's Forest SSSI is an 85.4-hectare (211-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Horsham in West Sussex.[1][2] The SSSI is in two separate areas, with the western part being in the 289-hectare (710-acre) Forestry Commission managed St Leonard's Forest.[3]
Much of the forest is deciduous woodland, which is dominated by pedunculate oak, silver birch, common birch and beech. The humid microclimate of a narrow valley has allowed mosses and liverworts to survive which indicate continuous woodland cover for the past 5,000 years. Butterflies include the rare purple emperor.[4]
There is public access to the western part of the site.
References
- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: St Leonard's Forest". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Map of St Leonard's Forest". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "St Leonard's Forest". Forestry Commission. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "St Leonard's Forest citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
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