You are in a broadleaved (trees with flat broad leaves) woodland, what do you see and how does it feel?

There are a mix of different tree species in this broadleaf woodland. Most broadleaf trees are deciduous (they lose their leaves in winter). This means the wood experiences seasonal changes of light levels.

The light in broadleaved woodlands is generally dappled and the light levels are usually higher than in coniferous woodlands, although this may not be the case in broadleaved woodlands that have trees with dense canopies such as those of beech.

Moisture levels tend to be high and the soil is usually on the acidic side of neutral (roughly pH >5.5). This soil is traditionally called ‘brown forest earth’. The topmost layer of the soil carries the remains of last autumn’s dead leaves and twigs, along with anything else that might land there. A few millimetres deeper down are the fragmented remains of earlier autumns, mixed up with old faecal pellets from soil invertebrates, particularly earthworms, that chew up leaf litter fragments.

Below ground the roots of a broadleaf tree have deep tap roots, these help them draw up water, break up rocks for nutrients and help anchor their large size enabling them to grow tall into the canopy.