The site Fuller information is provided in the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves handbook and its main features are mixed woodland and marshland. The area is a site. The marsh () is surrounded by relics of the area's industrial heritage as it lies in the heart of the Forest of Dean coal measures. The reserve is open to the public and is part of the Forest Nature Reserve. The Cannop Brook flows through the centre of the reserve, and opens at the southern end into Cannop north pond. There is a disused mineral railway line, now a Forestry England road on the eastern boundary, and there are disused railway sidings at the northern end. The sidings are now wooded with
alder and
birch. There is a bridge and causeway on the southern boundary separating the marsh within the reserve, from the northernmost Cannop pond.
Plants and trees The main feature of the marsh is
club-rush which forms dense stands together with
bulrush,
great willowherb and
common reed. The alder and birch wood on the drier areas has a good ground flora which is dominated by grasses, Remote-sedge and horsetails. The species reported include
common spotted-orchid,
marsh pennywort,
common valerian,
skullcap and
creeping jenny.
Wood horsetail is abundant in a damp area. There is grazing to maintain the short-grassland areas in the north and east of the site and
sheep's fescue is prominent.
Birds Small birds are reported in wooded areas such at
nuthatch,
chiffchaff,
wood warbler,
treecreeper,
marsh tit,
pied flycatcher,
common redstart and
great spotted woodpecker. Resident waterfowl include
moorhen,
mallard and
coot and breeding
reed buntings have been reported.
Invertebrates The invertebrate fauna includes
common blue and
silver-washed fritillary butterflies and also the
large red and
blue-tailed damsel-flies. The
small pearl-bordered fritillary historically was present on the site but is now extinct locally.
Conservation Conservation measures to prevent the marsh from drying out includes coppicing of the alder in the central area and the removal of
bracken. ==Publications==