Woodland of the Black Isle

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Resolis

Ballyskelly Burn - CI Grade 2
Alder and birch woodland in gully of Ballyskelly Burn.

Size: 6 hectares
Geology: Middle Old Red Sandstone.
Soil: Freely drained neutral, sandy soil.
Habitats Present:
a. Slopes above burn and wood are grassy, bracken covered or with abundant nettles. b. Small burn of variable width and with some sandy pools. c. Fallen tree trunks in burn with many epiphytes. Dead standing trees rare.
Woodland Types Present: Alderwood, type 7A, and hazel-birchwood, type 12B.

Description:
Alder is dominant throughout much of the wood and forms a dense stand at the upper end. Multi-stemmed hazels are abundant in the middle stretches of the burn. Tall birch trees are present and ash, elm and rowan are occasional. Prunus species are common with Prunus avium being especially frequent. At the lower end of the burn the ground flora is very dense with bracken, nettles, hogweed and hedge woundwort being abundant. Further upstream where hazel becomes frequent the ground flora is more diverse with Hyacinthoides non-scripta and Circaea x intermedia frequent. Viburnum opulus occurs in one locality. At the upper end of the burn, where the trees spread out to cover a wider area, dense coppiced alder is dominant with a diverse flora of woodland species.

Species of Note: Elymus caninus
Carex remota, Circaea x intermedia, Viburnum opulus
Faunal Interest: Buzzard, songbirds. Speckled wood butterflies. ? Otter spraint.
Land Use Pressures: Wood was formerly used for cattle grazing. Owner is attempting to control spread of bracken.
Adjacent Land: Arable fields.
CI - Grade 2

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Braelangwell Wood- SSSI
GRID REFERENCE: NH 688632
AREA: 67.57 hectares

NATURAL FEATURES
Woodlands: Upland birch woodland
Fens: Springs (including flushes)
Invertebrates: Flies
Invertebrates: Molluscs

DESCRIPTION

Braelangwell Wood, lying 3.5km south west of Balblair is one of the few surviving areas of semi-natural woodland on the Black Isle. Unmodified calcareous springs emerge within the woodland and drain across the site.

The woodland is dominated by a mixture of birch and Scots pine but alder is abundant locally. Willow, bird cherry and juniper are also present. The ground flora reflects this diversity with dwarf shrubs dominating under Scots Pine where the soils are acid. Herb-rich grassland has developed under the birch and supports woodland plants of restricted distribution in East Ross.

The calcium-rich springs have enabled a series of flushes to develop and these are dominated by a rich flora of lime-seeking plants. The main flush lines are stony with sparse vegetation cover while adjacent areas are rich in sedges. These areas have many plants uncommon in Easter Ross, some of which, like globe flower Trollius europaeus and alpine bistort Polygonum viviporum, are more characteristic of upland areas.

The open wet muds associated with the calcium-rich springs are important for nationally rare invertebrate species including the soldier fly Stratiomys chamaeleon and two species of whorl snail Vertigo genesii and V. geyeri.

For more information about this site visit the relevant page on my article on Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Black Isle. Link

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Culbo Wood
Easter Culbo Wood
Millbuie and Findon Forest
Newhall Burn - SCI Grade 1
Mixed deciduous lowland wood by meandering burn.

Size of Wood: 12 hectares.
Geology: Middle Old Red Sandstone.
Soil: Poorly drained, neutral to acid soil.
Habitats Present: a. Clearings with many young ash trees. b. Newhall Burn,2-4m wide,with many meanders. c. Low-lying swampy area with soft rush, bogbean. d. Fallen trees frequent. Standing dead trees occasional.
Woodland Types Present: Mixed deciduous woodland with a variety of tree species locally dominant. Stand types: 6Bb, upland birch-pedunculate oakwood, c.f. type 1D, western valley ash-wych elm wood, 12A rowan-birch wood.

Description:
The wood is diverse in character with a mixture of tree species, some of which have probably been planted while others have invaded. As a result the wood is difficult to classify into stand types, apart from a small area of birchwood at the western end. Oak, elm, beech and birch are all locally dominant. Young ash trees are frequent throughout the wood and appear to be the next species to assume dominance as the current dominant species show little regeneration. Willow species are frequent with birch in the wetter areas. Geum species (rivale, urbanum and hybrids) are exceptionally abundant in the ground flora by the burn and on adjacent slopes. Neottia nidus-avis has been recorded from an area of birch with dense willow by the burn. A birch dominated area occurs at the western end of the wood with a typically acidic flora.

Species of Note: Brachypodium sylvaticum. Festuca gigantea. Neottia nidus-avis.
Faunal Interest: Speckled wood butterflies.
Land Use Pressures: Small amount of firewood collection.
Adjacent Land: Pasture fields, garden.
SCI Grade 1

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Newhall - South - CI Grade 2
Size of wood: 7 hectares

Birchwood, type 12A, on level ground north of the Newhall Burn. The wood is relatively open and has a mixture of mature, coppiced and young birches. One mature pine occurs in the centre of the wood and the willows, Salix caprea and S. aurita are occasional. The ground flora in the western part of the wood is dominated by tussocks of Molinia caerulea. Heather is locally frequent in the drier acidic areas. In areas of dense birch with Salix aurita, the grasses Agrostis capillaris, Holcus lanatus and Deschampsia cespitsosa are abundant. A small colony of Pyrola minor occurs near the centre of the wood. The wood is grazed by rabbits and used for firewood collection.

Species of Note: Pyrola minor.
CI - Grade 2

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Toberchurn Wood
Udale Burn - CI Grade 2

Mixed deciduous woodland (alder, oak, birchwood) in gully of Udale Burn and adjacent flat ground.
Size of Wood: 14 hectares,
Geology: Middle Old Red Sandstone.
Soil: Neutral brown soil, poorly to freely drained.
Habitats Present: a. Open areas of rough meadow and wet meadow, bracken areas on
slopes. b. Small sandy burn of variable width. Large pond which is dammed at its eastern end. Western end is silting up. c. Low-lying wet areas by burn. Seasonally waterlogged area at western end of pond. d. Dead fallen trees occasional. Stumps frequent.
Woodland Types Present: Alderwood, type 7A, pedunculate oakwood, type 6B, rowan-birchwood, type 12A.

Description:
The valley is cattle grazed and at the lower end scattered trees occur on the slopes with young alders fringing the burn. Oak, elm, ash, birch and beech are frequent on the slopes. Carex remota is especially frequent with the alders. Circaea x intermedia is found under oak and elm near the burn. In some areas where the gully narrows, beech trees are dominant with a very limited ground flora.

Below the pond is a damp area where alders are dominant. The pond, which is dammed at its east end, has a swampy area where the Udale Burn enters. Salix fragilis is frequent here and there is a thicket of Viburnum opulus. To the north west of the burn is an area of flat ground where birch and alder have been felled and allowed to regrow as coppice. The coppiced birch is 1-3 m high. Many seedlings and saplings of birch and alder occur, along with frequent whin bushes. A total of 101 woodland species were recorded.

Species of Note: Carex remota, Circaea x intermedia, Viburnum opulus
Faunal Interest: Mallard, heron, songbirds. Speckled wood butterflies.
Land Use Pressures: Cattle grazing. The wood is close to the village of Jemimavilleand of high amenity value.
Adjacent Land: Arable fields.
CI Grade 2.

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Wester Culbo Wood

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