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Climate is typical of South-East/South England and annual rainfall averages around 800mm.
The underlying strata is Wealden clay - which accounts for the several ponds in the
village - and below that chalk. Close to the North Downs the land is relatively flat,
with deep fissures cut into the clay by the much branched headwaters of the River Arun
(in the autumn/winter large sea-trout run upstream beyond Dunsfold). The surrounding
landscape is of farmland, horse and pony paddocks, woodland and parkland. Much of the
area of Dunsfold and the immediate surrounding countryside enjoys designated Sites of
Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) and Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) while
further out there are several Sites of Special Scientific Interest. (SSSI) status.
This ancient woodland has long gone. But it has left a rich legacy in the form
of the local fauna and flora, including wild plants, the flowers of which grace
the woodland floor in April and May each year. Many of these e.g. wood anemone,
bluebell, wild garlic and dog's mercury are 'old forest indicators'; other 'old
forest indicators' include invertebrate and lichen species which have survived
from the wildwood by way of ancient trees which may have had a secondary connection
with the wildwood e.g. trees occupying land which has never been free of tree cover.
It is intriguing to think that the spectacular oak tree adjacent to Oaktree House,
said to be 600 years old, and those on the Common east of the cricket field could
have an indirect association with the wildwood. Today, Surrey is the most wooded
county of England, with a 20% tree cover. Dunsfold and the surrounding countryside
contributes its fair share of that percentage. Not all of it is deciduous woodland
and further out there are large Forestry Commission conifer plantations, some of
which straddle the county (Surrey/Sussex) border.
Additionally a number of ponds add both visual and conservation interest to
the Common.
In such a well-wooded and naturally diverse area it is not surprising that a
large number of bird species, including summer and winter migrants, are seen.
Lists are currently being prepared.
By way of an introduction to the countryside around our village try the following
comparatively short walk, starting and finishing at the Sun Inn (what better place
to start and finish a walk?).
Given these attributes it is not surprising that they take advantage of intensively
reared food in the shape of cultivated roses and other garden produce when the
opportunity arises. Sadly this activity gives them a bad press and some gardeners
(as well as foresters and farmers) label them as pests. What can be done to alleviate
the problem? In the forest and on the farm deer populations can be managed to keep
numbers, and therefore damage, to acceptable levels by selective culling with
the rifle (in experienced hands the only lawful means available to effect humane
control) but for obvious reasons this is not feasible in the immediate vicinity of
the village.
There are a number of commercially available chemical repellents (amongst them
synthetic lion's dung - acquiring your own from a safari park is not recommended)
which may provide short-term protection. Human hair put out in bags is also said
to discourage deer, as are strips of plastic rustling in the breeze. Electric fencing
may also provide temporary relief. But there is only one sure way of preventing deer
trespass and that is by fencing.
It is commonly believed that deer will simply jump over fencing if it is not
sufficiently high. They will, but their preference is to go under instead of
over and they can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps if they put their minds
to it. So for Roe a height of 1.8m is ample. Woven and welded wire mesh fencing
set a few centimetres into the ground and with a 150mm mesh - anything larger
will allow kids (the young of Roe deer are called kids) access and you will have
a problem with a kid (or kids) on the one side and the mother on the other - is ideal.
The cost of fencing is a small price to pay for the privilege of enjoying the
company of these attractive creatures.
Finally, remember to close gates - an open gate attracts the curiosity of Roe deer.
More detailed information about Roe and other deer species is to be found at
the British Deer Society's website.
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The Weald, that area of South-East England bounded by the North and South Downs and
to the the east the downland west of Petersfield and Farnham is home to a rich and
varied fauna and flora - a legacy of the ancient woodland which covered it from the
time of last glaciation. Although the early peoples of southern England - the
Neolithics, Bronze Age people and the Celts - ventured into this woodland for
hunting and foraging they made little impression on it. Neither did the Romans who
drove their straight roads through it and encouraged the Celts to mine the iron
that lay within it. It was the Saxons who made the first serious incursions into
this ancient woodland, clearing and carving out plots for cultivation and settlement
and possibly introducing some form of management in the woodland. Even their
progress was limited, however, and in Norman England it is estimated that 70% of
the Weald was still covered in trees, compared with less than 20% over the rest
of country.
The ancient woodland of the Weald was mixed woodland. The earliest wildwood was
formed by birch replacing the grasses and other alpine vegetation which would
have occupied the area of the Weald at the end of the last Ice Age. Birch was
largely displaced by pine and this was followed by hazel, elm, oak and alder.
Lime, beech and holly appeared at a later stage and while some species declined
others came to the fore, aided by climatic changes and different soil types. In
the west Weald English oak is likely to have been the dominant tree species.
The Common is typical of much of the common land in Surrey although most of the traditional
commoner's rights attached to the village are long gone. Almost half of the 31 hectares
is secondary deciduous woodland and a third grassland. Because it has undergone a
metamorphosis from a stock grazing to an amenity common it offers little in the
way of rarity but it is of value as a local wildlife habitat. A recent survey
(Dunsfold Common Management Plan 1998. Waverley Borough Council) recorded 179
species of flora (some of which are garden escapees), several mammal species,
six Dragonfly and Damselfly species and seven reptiles/amphibians.
