special features in woods
Trees and woods can be special for many different reasons. Here are a few special features that you might want to look out for:

Hollow ways These features are common in the Chilterns. They are sunken, eroded routes which tend to go up the Chiltern scarp.

Saw pits Sawpits are common in the Chilterns but rare in the rest of England. These pits were dug where trees were felled, in line with the contour and are about 2x4 metres. The saw pits allowed two men, using a two handed saw, to cut the trees into planks. One man stood in the pit (the under dog), the other (the top dog) on the tree which straddled the pit.

Banks and ditches These are important features, often indicating the boundary of estates, parishes or counties. Woods often have a boundary bank around their edge (possibly not their present edge) with a ditch on the non-wood side to keep stock, such as cattle, out of the wood.

Pollards This is a term used to describe trees that have been managed in a particular way. A pollarded tree is cut at a height above which grazing animals can reach, 6-10ft. Numerous stems regrow from where the tree is cut, giving a pollard its distinctive shape. Pollards often indicate parish boundaries.

Coppice This is another term for trees managed in a particular way. Coppiced trees are cut at ground level and from here multiple stems regrow after each cut.