Classified as ancient and semi-natural woodland, Birks wood is depicted on the 1st edition OS map of 1855. The boundaries are substantially unchanged although housing has encroached slightly to the north. Scurfield (1986) suggests that the area was wooded in 1637 and formed part of Middle wood. It seems likely that the management regime would have been similar to that of Beeley wood on the opposite side of the River Don- a spring wood managed for coppicing replaced by conifers in the 19th century. Legibility of the previous landscape is fragmentary as the area is still wooded.