Carrifran Wildwood

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Carrifran Wildwood – an inspirational story of Landscape Restoration

This is the story, so far, of how what was described in winter 1998 as ‘a brown desert’ has changed. In 2020 it is well on the way to becoming a green jewel in the Moffat Hills. A local group, Peeblesshire Environment Concern, run by Dr Philip Ashmole, his wife Myrtle, Ann Goodburn and Fi Martynoga, organised a conference Restoring Borders Woodland in 1993. Philip had wondered ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful for a grass-roots group to get hold of a whole valley, from river to mountain top, so that we could put back the vegetation that might have existed before man made an impact on the landscape?’. As a result of that conference the group explored both sources of funding and a valley to be reforested. After several false starts a way forward was found, and a successful bid was made for lottery support and the Borders Forest Trust came into being in 1996 Link. Eventually money was raised and the Carrifran Valley [variably Carr-ifran or Carri-fran], in Dumfries and Galloway, was found, with an option to purchase if £400000 could be obtained by the end of 1999. It was, and the Wildwood project, now a discrete entity within the BFT, could begin.

This article illustrates the development of the Wildwood project from Geograph pictures There are very few from before the beginning in 2000, quite a lot between 2001-2010, few between 2011-2015, and more between 2016 to 2020, the latter especially due to coverage by Jim Barton. I have tried to arrange them in some sort of logical order, by time and place. Updated on 2 November 2020, with the addition of six images taken in 2020 to end-October 2022. Hopefully more will be added as time progresses and the trees grow up.

A time-lapse series of photos of the glen, from the same viewpoint, from 2004 to 2019, which shows well how the landscape has changed, can be found on the BFT website Link. Scroll down to find the video in the black rectangle at the bottom of the page.

The Carrifran Burn drains a valley, about 5 x 2 km [650 ha], that runs south from the Tweeddale–Annandale watershed to the Moffat Water, just after passing under the Selkirk-Moffat road [A708]. The valley features in 15 km squares, eight of them extensively. The valley is shown below [Google Earth, 2009]



The Wildwood area is outlined approximately in blue; it goes from 165 m a.s.l. to 820 m a.s.l., and encompasses several different habitats:- Alpine and subalpine heath, dry heath, blanket bog, acid montane grassland, tall-herb communities, acid scree, plants in acid rock crevices and plants in basic rock crevices. For an 'official story' see Link

The ‘empty’ valley in 1989 In 1991, lower down the valley was similar, with rough grazing Compare this view with one taken in the same area in 2015
It was decided by the group that the aim of the restoration should be to restore the landscape to what it might have been at some time in the past, before man’s influence. An ancient longbow of Yew wood was found in peat at Rotten Bottom in 1990; radio carbon dating established that it was between 5600-6000 years old Link. Pollen analysis established that then there was a mature and biodiverse ecosystem in the Southern Uplands. It was, therefore, thought appropriate to aim to restore the Carrifran valley ecosystem to what it might have been at the time of the bowman.

The area in which the ancient bow was found
The main biological problems to be addressed were Roe Deer, Sheep, 40 feral Goats and Bracken. It was decided that a deer fence was not a realistic option, although the whole area was fenced at the start. The other option was culling [shooting] by a professional stalker, and over the last 18 years an average of 25 deer a year have been culled. Deer culling is still a major cost, and the group is looking forward to the time when they will be culled by Lynx, a natural predator. From 2000-2005 the Goats and Sheep were removed. Although there was only 80 ha of Bracken its removal was problematic; it grew rapidly in the absence of grazing and young trees could quickly become smothered, and both physical and chemical control proved to be difficult.

The next few images show the fencing required – in all 11km, with 12 access points around the periphery, so quite an undertaking.
In the first seven years around 40ha [about 60000 trees] were planted each year; in total, since 2000, 650000 native trees and shrubs have been planted at Carrifran – a truly monumental effort by volunteers and professionals alike.

GENERAL VALLEY VIEWS

The head of the valley in 1989 in 2011 and in 2017

THE VALLEY

In 2009 young trees were readily visible in the valley and by 2013 on the west ridge of Carrifran Gans they were well established
In 2010 the ‘The Survivor’ Rowan was Scotland’s ‘Tree of the Year’ in the annual competition organised by The Woodland Trust Link 2020 It was also featured in BBC Scotland's 'Landward' TV programme, episode 20 [October 2020] Link

The lower valley, ca 170-250m [1991-2016]

1991 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016

The upper valley, ca 250-500m [2007-2016]

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2016

AROUND THE RIM

The higher levels of the ridge surrounding the valley, above ca 700m, are too high for forest but, with no grazing pressure, can develop the sort of montane vegetation that should be there. Between about 700 and 350m the environment suits dwarf montane shrubs, rather than forest trees. Examples of the higher levels around the rim of the valley follow, from the west at Saddle Yoke [735m, NT148136] north, round via Raven Craig and Firthhope Rig [800m, NT150157] to the summit plateau of White Coomb [821m, NT163151m], and then south via Carrifran Gans [751m, NT159139] to about the 450m level.

Lower west side of the valley, to Saddle Yoke

2008, with the east facing hillside of the valley still quite bare 2009 2011 2015 2021

Saddle Yoke to Rotten Bottom

2008 2010 2011

Firthhope Rig and White Coomb

1998 - note the sheep 1999 2007 2009 a winter scene 2015 2017 20212022

Carrifran Gans

2006 2007 2012 2018

OTHER ORGANISMS

Although the focus of the Wildwood project was/is reforestation, this process has had its effect on the non-woody vegetation – herbs, ferns, mosses and liverworts, fungi, and all groups of animals. What this article lacks is images of many of these montane plants – they can, however, be found in the BFT 2020 book. All have been carefully and extensively monitored in the last 20 years and considerable change recorded. They have all been covered in the well written and illustrated book A Journey in Landscape Restoration – Carrifran Wildwood and Beyond edited by Philip and Myrtle Ashmole for the BFT. [2020] 223pp. [ISBN 978-184995-472-3]. A few of these other groups have featured on Geograph :-

Herbs

Some tall herbs in 2010; probably flourishing without grazing

Invertebrates

Dragonfly on young Oak

Fungus

An interesting association of grass, invertebrate and fungus

THE FUTURE

Since the start of the Wildwood Project on Millennium Day the BFT has acquired two more properties. In 2009 Corehead & Devil’s Beef Tub, north of Moffat, was acquired; the 650ha hill farm will be used to show how farming and woodland restoration can come together and at its eastern extremity is only 3km from the Carrifran Wildwood. In 2013 Talla & Gameshope, a 1832ha of wild land immediately adjacent to Carrifran, and descending northwards from ca 750m down to ca 370m at Fruid Reservoir was acquired. The size and proximity of these three areas means that they be treated as a joined-up programme of work – Reviving the Wild Heart of Southern Scotland - with the hope that the project will enable the return of thriving native habitats like broadleaved woodlands, heathlands, moorlands, wetlands, deep peat and montane scrub.

This article will be left open for editing in the hope that others who follow in the years ahead will continue to document this great project by adding new images.

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