The Park Extensive research and in-depth consultation with landscape and wildlife experts has led to permission being granted for the creation of an environmentally friendly burial ground at Chiltern Woodland Burial Park, in Pitlands Wood, just east of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. The Forestry Commission, the government agency responsible for woodland management and conservation, owns the woodland, and they are Colney Memorial Parks partners in this particular burial park. Our specialist management techniques will help gradually to restore the woodland to a diverse coppice with broadleaf native trees, and a profusion of natural woodland species such as bluebells and foxgloves will swiftly develop. Birds and woodland animal species will be encouraged, with bird boxes and bat boxes used throughout the Park. The Park will be established to offer an appealing and meaningful alternative to conventional burial and cremation choices. It will seek to provide both for the bereaved, and for those who wish to plan for the future during their own lifetime. Family or friends will be able to select and purchase a specific plot at Chiltern Woodland Burial Park at the time of need, choosing an appropriate place in the woodland to lay their loved one to rest. Alternatively, individuals will be able to choose the resting place of their choice during their own lifetime, relieving their family of the burden and cost of making arrangements later.
	Chiltern Woodland Burial Park has a mature woodland landscape and this, together with the level and range of services offered (including secure Trust arrangements), ensures that the Park differs in important ways from other woodland burial sites. The management is committed to maintaining the Park as an area of natural beauty. The principles on which the site has been established have been developed in close association with Forestry Commission officers, with a view to ensuring the site remains a healthy woodland at all times. The Park will be a haven for wildlife and natural plant growth, reinforcing the concept of renewal of life. Everything in the park will be biodegradable. Wooden memorials in English oak will be permitted and will, over decades, return to the soil. Stone monuments are not permitted. Purchasing a burial plot will include a lease up to 2106. At Chiltern Woodland Burial Park, we will welcome people of all beliefs and offer a highly dedicated service, working closely with funeral directors, clergy and other organisations to ensure that services are dignified and respectful. We will offer a completely personal and professional service, and our staff will be happy to take you around the park and offer further information. We will warmly welcome visitors to walk through the woodland; and ask that all visitors abide by the few regulations, laid down in order to protect its natural beauty and in respect for those who will be laid to rest here. There will be buggy transport for those with limited mobility, both for mourners attending a funeral, and for visitors to the woodland. Ultimately our aim is to offer the perfect environment for quiet contemplation and remembrance of loved ones. We also intend to always ensure that each individual choosing a burial or ashes plot in our burial park has their personal wishes fulfilled. The Woodland Pitlands Wood takes its name from the winning of clay and brick earth for a brick and tile works which operated on the site during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, leaving the woodland pitted with holes. Desk based archaeological assessments indicate that in earlier times the site was most likely to have been woodland and scrubland, through prehistoric, Roman and early Medieval periods. Pitlands Wood is recorded in various inventories as being partly Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, and/or partly Planted Ancient Woodland, so prior to the application for planning permission, detailed ecological surveys and assessments were undertaken. Consultation with specialist ecologists and experts on ancient woodland as well as reference to historical maps led to a revised design of the layout of the park to minimise impact on the areas of both the Semi Natural Ancient Woodland and the Planted Ancient Woodland. Much of the northern half of the woodland was planted with coniferous trees by the Forestry Commission around 1959, including Douglas Fir, Grand Fir and Norway Spruce. To the south, European Larch predominates, with later pockets of Beech and Oak. Scattered throughout these coniferous areas are single stands and pockets of Oak, Beech and Silver Birch. To the northwest, and along the Potkiln Lane boundary, Oak, Beech, Hornbeam and Silver Birch predominate; this area has a richer ground flora and shows evidence of an older woodland. Where conifers dominate the woodland, the ground flora is subsequently poor, characterised typically by moss, bramble and bracken, but in the broadleaf areas it is more varied, with bluebells evident in some parts, as well as foxgloves, which are regenerating in profusion. Areas of Semi Natural Ancient Woodland display remnants of richer wood flora such as primroses. Wildlife at Chiltern Woodland Burial Park Chiltern Woodland Burial Park is home to a variety of wildlife, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and invertebrates. The mammals in the wood include grey squirrel, rabbit and Common Pipistrelle bat, while fallow and muntjac deer can be seen in the surrounding area. Common toads dwell in old tree stumps and under logs, and common lizard and grass snake can be seen warming themselves in the morning sun. A large colony of Palmate Newts frequents most of the water bodies within the site, including the ponds, flooded ruts and scrapes. There is also a number of Great Crested Newts within the main pond and some of the smaller ponds, and work will be carefully planned in close conjunction with ecologists to enhance and improve the foraging and breeding conditions for these species. Breeding birds in the woodland include Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Chaffinches, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Treecreepers, Nuthatch, Tawny Owl, Bullfinch and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Other species, including Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw are likely to be breeding nearby, and Common Buzzards and Red Kites were also observed during survey visits. Invertebrates include butterflies (e.g. speckled wood, red admiral and comma), dragonflies, grasshoppers, spiders and beetles. The fallen and standing deadwood throughout the woodland provides an important habitat for many invertebrate species. We will be introducing boxes as habitats for birds, bats and invertebrates, and we will continue to carry out regular surveys in order to assess the effectiveness of our ongoing work in the wood, and how it is affecting diversity and population numbers. The Woodland Cycle The following notes may help to give an understanding of how the woodland cycle works in relation to plants on the woodland floor. It demonstrates when plants can be anticipated and why at times there appears to be nothing going on. The plants listed are a selection from those that may be found at Chiltern Woodland Burial Park. Winter - Early Spring There are no leaves on the trees, and so light levels on the woodland floor are good. The conditions are damp and as the soil starts to warm up, the first flowers begin to show. Typical flowers at this time are violets, wood anemones and dogs mercury. Late Spring The soil is still moist and continues to warm up, as daylight hours increase and the trees start to produce new leaves. The amount of light reaching the woodland floor is reduced but is sufficient for shade-tolerant varieties such as bluebells, stitchwort and ground ivy. Summer Trees are growing strongly and taking large amounts of moisture from the soil. The leaf cover continues to thicken rapidly, to a point where most of the woodland floor is in full shade. In these conditions only the shade-loving plants, including ferns and wood sage, will be seen. The woodland floor may have a 'bare' appearance at this time. On the edges of the woodland, and in areas where tree thinning or coppicing has been carried out, there is sufficient light for sun-loving plants such as foxglove, rosebay willowherb, red campion, nettles and germander speedwell. Autumn The reduction in daylight hours and lower air temperature starts the process of autumn colour and leaf drop. There are no woodland flowers ready to respond to these conditions; instead, various fungi can be seen along with berries, fruits and seeds. "There are no leaves on the trees. Light levels on the woodland floor are good. The conditions are damp and as the soil starts to warm up." Other information about the woodland Soil type The soil in Chiltern Woodland Burial Park varies markedly between strongly acidic, poorly drained ground to the north and east of the woodland, with mildly acidic, better-drained soil to the west and south. These soil types are typical of clay with flints drift over chalk, and the strongly acidic soils with humic topsoil are very unlikely to have been cultivated in recent centuries. Planting patterns Where conditions suit particular plants, they will establish themselves in clumps in random patterns. This is very different to our gardens at home, where many different varieties may be planted together in formal patterns to give interest.
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