:Croes Robert Wood
{{Short description|Protected area in Monmouthshire, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox SSSI
|name= Croes Robert Wood
|image=
|image_caption=
|aos= Monmouthshire
|interest= Biological
|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|SO480060}}
|coordinates = {{coord|51.7507|-2.7538|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|displaymap= Wales Monmouthshire
|area={{convert|18|ha|km2 sqmi|sigfig=3}}
|notifydate={{Start date|1981}}
|enref=
}}
Croes Robert Wood is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales.{{cite web|title=Croes Robert Wood|url=http://www.ccw.gov.uk/landscape--wildlife/protecting-our-landscape/special-landscapes--sites/protected-landscapes-and-sites/sssis/sssi-sites/idoc.ashx?docid=47f8b8f8-254c-41ba-b413-d0a096a1d3a4&version=-1|publisher=Countryside Council for Wales|accessdate=12 March 2012|format=pdf}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Gwent Wildlife Trust, the owners of the site, manage the woodland through methods of coppicing and charcoal burning to encourage its notable flora and fauna.
Geography
The {{convert|18|ha|acre|adj=on}} SSSI, notified in 1981, is located within the community of Mitchel Troy, {{convert|4|mi|km}} south of the town of Monmouth.{{cite web|title=Croes Robert Wood map|url=http://www.ccw.gov.uk/landscape--wildlife/protecting-our-landscape/special-landscapes--sites/protected-landscapes-and-sites/sssis/sssi-sites/idoc.ashx?docid=5797198c-acd4-41d1-b549-67b4ad26ae04&version=-1|publisher=Countryside Council for Wales|accessdate=12 March 2012|format=pdf}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet OL14 Wye Valley & Forest of Dean {{ISBN|9780319240953}}
The site is owned by Gwent Wildlife Trust as well as private individuals.{{cite web|title=Croes Robert Reserve|url=http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/CroesRobert.htm|publisher=Gwent Wildlife Trust|accessdate=12 March 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315234353/http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/CroesRobert.htm|archivedate=15 March 2012}}
Wildlife and ecology
As with other woodland in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Croes Robert Wood contains many local and rare tree species. Established on the upper slopes are common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), silver birch (Betula pendula), wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and wild cherry (Prunus avium) trees, with black alder (Alnus glutinosa) growing on the lower reaches. The wood is also noted for its bryophyte interest.
The dormouse, considered to be rare and endangered, can be found on the nature reserve,{{cite web|title=Croes Robert Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest|url=http://www.ccw.gov.uk/landscape--wildlife/protecting-our-landscape/special-landscapes--sites/protected-landscapes-and-sites/sssis/sssi-sites/idoc.ashx?docid=130200e7-2fcd-4c07-b03c-38e901763d04&version=-1|publisher=Countryside Council for Wales|accessdate=12 March 2012|page=3|format=pdf}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} as well as badger, fallow deer, weasel and the yellow-necked mouse. Bird species recorded in the wood include Eurasian bullfinch, grasshopper warbler, great spotted woodpecker, long-tailed tit, nightingale and Eurasian woodcock. Several species of butterfly and moth can also be found within the site.{{cite web|title=Croes Robert Wood|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/reserves/pages/croes_robert.shtml|publisher=BBC Online|accessdate=13 March 2012|date=3 April 2008}}
Gwent Wildlife Trust has employed techniques of coppicing and charcoal burning to manage the woodland, after it was clear-felled in 1982, creating sections of different aged woods allowing the dormice to feed on the berries, fruits and nuts that can be found in the newer clearings. The Trust sells the resulting charcoal locally to fund the conservation work.{{cite web|last=Maclean|first=Lauri|title=Dormice and barbecues|url=http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=135&refresh=5y1XG03r1bK4&EID=22ed2515-48c2-4793-8240-07ab7a6c9417&skip=&p=135|publisher=Herefordshire & Wye Valley Life|accessdate=14 March 2012|pages=135–136|date=May 2011}}