Within the European Union Atlantic Oakwoods are restricted to the oceanic coastal fringes of the British Isles, France and Spain, with most of this resource occuring in Western Britain.

As scattered remnants of one of our ancient woodland types these native okwoods have a particularly high wildlife and scenic value. They contain some of our least altered soils, vegetation communities and landscapes and are often described as 'temperate rainforests' due to their damp, humid climate and abundance of ferns, mosses, liverworts and lichens. They are also a stronghold for migrant songbirds such as redstart, pied flycatcher and wood warbler.

Atlantic Oakwoods have a long history of local management and utilisation and were highly valued by the people who lived in and around them for providing grazing and shelter for livestock, a renewable supply of firewood and timber, plentiful wild game, charcoal for iron smelting and bark for tanning leather.

By the beginning of the 20th century this continuity of traditional management which helped to ensure their health and survival had largely ceased . As a result of this together with increased grazing by deer and sheep, invasion by rhododendron and the planting of fast growing commercial conifer crops, the condition of most Atlantic Oakwoods has declined.