Located around the centre of the parish of Odell,[1] the site was described by Natural England as "in many respects the best example in Bedfordshire" of wet ash-maple woodland,[2][3] and in historical sources as "the noblest wood in this county".

[1] Being one of the largest of Bedfordshire's ancient woodlands,[4] the wood hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna in its ash, oak and hazel coppice habitat.

[5] A 1765 map by Thomas Jefferys shows formal drives through Odell Great Wood, arranged on the design of the wheel.

[2] The wood is dominated by oak (Quercus robur) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees, which grow over a well-developed layer of shrub plants, including privet (Ligustrum vulgare), dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), field maple (Acer campestre) and coppiced hazel (Corylus avellana).

A key feature of the wood that Natural England cites as enhancing the sites value for flowering plants, butterflies and other invertebrates is the "extensive and well-developed system of [woodland] rides".