New Moss Wood
Parks / Natural Reserves
Planted in 1998/99 as part of the Red Rose Forest, New Moss Wood is a new, native woodland established on what was once a market garden farm. Enjoy views of the river to Glazebrook and beyond and look out for varied birdlife that makes this wood so popular with local birdwatchers.
Features
- Parking at site
- Public access
- Grassland
- Broadleaved woodland
New Moss Wood is a 30.5 hectare (75.3 acre) site located on the outskirts of Cadishead, Salford, on the edge of Chat Moss.
From the Warrington/M6 Junction 21, take the A57 (Manchester Road) towards Salford/ Manchester. Take a left turn for Cadishead onto Liverpool Road and follow this for approximately 1.6km (1 mile), until you pass under the railway bridge, then turn left onto New Moss Road. Follow this road until you go over another railway bridge, where it becomes Moss Road, which is unsurfaced. Continue along the road for about 0.8km (0.5 miles), past several houses and farms, until you come to the main entrance and car park for New Moss Wood on the left-hand side.
Facilities and access
There are two access points along the eastern boundary (Moss Road) into the site, one of which is located at the small onsite car park on Moss Road.
There is a good network of paths running through the wood, with bridges and raised paths to avoid wet areas and ditches. The paths are unsurfaced and can get quite muddy.
Wildlife and habitats
Animals
The new woodland at New Moss Wood, particularly the areas of willow scrub, supports a huge range of wildlife. Look out for moths, other invertebrates and a wide range of bird species.
Trees, plants and fungi
The flora at New Moss Wood is a mix of planted and naturally regenerated species. The native planting of willow, alder and birch suits the dampness of the site well, but you’ll also find more recent plantings of oak and ash.
Habitats
New Moss Wood's area of grassland is a particularly important habitat for ground-nesting birds, and the willow scrub supports more invertebrates than any other plant, except oak.
History of New Moss Wood
We bought the site in 1996 after the market garden that once stood there went out of use in the early 1990s.
Though we planted 10 hectares in 1997, much of the woodland was established with the help of the local community as part of the Red Rose Forest Project (now City of Trees) in 1998 and 1999. The project’s aim was to involve local communities in safeguarding and creating woodland for the future and get greenery into places where people can appreciate it every day.
Chat Moss
Historically, a large part of neighbouring Chat Moss and surrounding areas were covered by tree-edged, lowland raised peat bog. This has developed over thousands of years where water logging has slowed down the decomposition of plants, leading to huge, domed peat accumulations.
The areas of wet willow scrub and areas of natural regeneration at New Moss Wood are extending these valuable habitats.