Where do hazel dormice live?
Dormice prefer the new growth of woody vegetation that arises after woodland management such as coppicing, ride widening, thinning or glade creation. In the UK, they tend to favour old coppice woodland but they’re also found in scrubland, old hedgerows and sometimes conifer plantations. Their range has shrunk significantly and they’re now confined predominantly to southern England and Wales with a few scattered populations in the Midlands, Wales and Lake District. Even where dormice remain, their distribution is patchy.