Woodland of the Black Isle

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Muir of Ord - within the Black Isle

Beech Wood, Muir of Ord
Muir of Tarradale - Bog Fada Wood - CI Grade 2
Muir of Tarradale - Coille Riabach - CI Grade 2
Muir of Tarradale - Woodland north of Broad Brae - CI Grade 2
Area of broad leaved woodland on undulating low ground east of Muir of Ord village. The wood is divided into three parts by the dismantled railway and road; from north to south these are Bog Fada Wood, wood north of Broadbrae and Coille Riabach.
Size of Wood: 37 hectares.
Geology: Middle Old Red Sandstone.
Soil: Acid to neutral. Freely and poorly drained areas.
Habitats Present: a. Open heath land areas in Bog Fada Wood.
Open grassy areas in Coille Riabach. b. Drains and ditches in Coille Riabach. c. Wet boggy areas in Bog Fada Wood and Coille Riabach. Wet area in wood north of Broadbrae with Menyanthes trifoliata and Carex rostrata. c. Dead wood occasional.
Woodland Types Present: Rowan-birch wood, type 12A, is dominant in Bog Fada Wood. Pine trees are occasional but probably insufficient in number to classify any of the wood as type 11A. Type 6Bb, upland birch-pedunculate oak wood, is dominant adjacent to the road at the south end of the wood north of Broad Brae, with birch wood, type 12A, farther north. Mature oak wood, type 6Bb, is present in well drained areas of Coille Riabach. Damper areas have birch wood, type 12A.

Description: The central part of Bog Fada Wood is an area of scattered birch wood mixed with open heathland. The birches show a diversity of ages and sizes with many saplings amongst the open heather. Most of the trees are small and lichen covered. Pine trees are more frequent in the eastern part but small trees, seedlings and saplings are occasional throughout. Juniper shrubs are also occasional. Mature heather is dense over large areas with Erica tetralix in damper parts. Areas away from the centre have a greater covering of birch with more Vaccinium myrtillus in the ground flora. At the southern end bracken dominates the ground flora with Deschampsia flexuosa and Trientalis europaea.
The wood north of Broadbrae consists of mature oak adjacent to the road with birch farther north. Well drained areas of Coille Riabach have mature oak wood with occasional birches. Some of the oaks are multi-stemmed indicating coppicing in the past. Damper areas have more birch, with Salix cinerea and S. caprea frequent in the poorly drained areas. Juniper shrubs occur with the oaks in the western part of the wood. Melampyrum pratense dominates the ground flora under the mature oak, for example in the north eastern part. Anthoxanthum odoraturn, Holcus mollis, Deschampsia flexuosa, Pea trivialis and Trientalis europaea are all frequent.

Species of Note: Pyrola minor.
Faunal Interest: Hare, possible badger setts.
Buzzard, tree creepers, chaffinches, great tits, robin, wren. Large white, meadow brown, common blue butterflies.
Land Use Pressures: Cattle grazing in wood north of Broadbrae and Coile Riabach. Shooting in Bog Fada Wood (cartridges on ground).
Adjacent Land: Arable fields. Small conifer plantation beside dismantled railway.

CI Grade 2

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Ord Wood - CI Grade 3 NH 525505 NO IMAGE

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