British wildwood

British wildwood, or simply 'the wildwood', is the wholly natural landscape which developed across major parts of England after the last ice age. This woodland was not yet affected by human intervention, and was home to many species which are not now found in England, such as elk and brown bears. Over centuries, starting in the Neolithic period, this wildwood gradually gave way to open plains and fields as human populations increased and began to exploit and develop the land to their advantage. Much of the areas of woodland that remain in England descend from the original wildwood but are now in a semi-natural state due to being managed and controlled, for example as a source of timber. These are known as ancient woodland. True wildwood is thought to be no longer extant in the UK.