Stuart Adair, Borders Forest Trust

16 Pages·2017·7.26 MB·English

by  Stuart Adair

Upland
Woodland
Restoration
Plantlife recovery and natural succession on
former sheep walk planted with native
trees at Carrifran with particular reference
to translocations on designated sites.
Presented
by
Stuart Adair
On behalf of
Borders Forest Trust/Carrifran Wildwood
Group
at
Restoring Plant Communities in our
Woodlands: Time for Action!
Battleby Conference Centre, June 2018
• ?-2000: Centuries of open sheep walk with occasional
hill cattle and feral goats.
• 1949: (1956, 1972, 1974, 1981) Notified as part of Moffat Hills
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Notified for upland and
vascular plant assemblages and geological features.
• 1st January 2000: Purchased by Borders Forest Trust/Carrifran
Wildwood Group.
• 2000-2007: Removal of all domestic stock (sheep, cattle, feral
goats); planting of circa 600,000 native trees and shrubs in the
lower part of the valley (<450m a.s.l) funded through FCS
Woodland Grant Scheme.
• 2000-2001: Alison & Ben Averis conduct base-line habitat of
Carrifran and the neighbouring Black Hope.
• 2005: Designated as part of Moffat Hills Special Area of
Conservation (SAC). Qualifying interests: Eight (8)
alpine/montane Annex 1 Habitats.
• 2005-present: Smaller areas of montane scrub (e.g. juniper,
downy willow etc) established on parts of the higher ground (i.e.
Firthhope Corrie; Rispie Lairs).
• 2007-present: Volunteer ‘enrichment planting’ adding species
only partially funded or not funded at all by FCS woodland grant
scheme (e.g. hazel, hawthorn, willow, roses, honeysuckle, ivy).
• 2008: SNH refuse permission to establish Dwarf Birch (Betula
nana) in tree-line woodland at Carrifran.
• 2012: SNH refuse permission to translocate a list of circa 50
associated (not trees or shrubs) plant species and advise that we
Brief history of Carrifran must carry out a translocation application for each species
individually.
• 2013: Stuart Adair carries out ‘re-survey’ of the entire Glen
Wildwood
• 2018: Official application to SNH to translocate Bearberry
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) to Carrifran (and other locations in the
Moffat/Tweedsmuir Hills). Currently awaiting outcome.
Carrifran: Then and Now
Left, 1999 (P. Ashmole); Right, 2017 (J. Barton)
Remnant Woodland at Carrifran
(l-r Ashy Dean; Hazel Linn; Holly Gill)
Remnant woodland as
refugia for woodland flora
• Although the three extant woodland fragments were
very small, linear and confined to inaccessible places
along the burn, they provided vital refugia for myriad
woodland and shade tolerant plants, lichens and fungi.
Including trees, shrubs, herbs and lower plants, each
fragment supported an average of 70-80 recognizable
woodland/shade plant species.
• In terms of plant life recovery through natural
succession, such refugia (along with other inaccessible
and shady places on crags, cliffs etc) are vital sources for
future plant succession.
• These refugia can also make an ideal source of plant
material for plant translocations into the wider
landscape.
• Pictured right, Barren Strawberry (Potentilla sterilis) in
Ashy Dean.
Planted Native Woodland
& Natural Succession
• Removal of domestic stock, deer control and
the establishment of native woodland will
stimulate natural succession within the extant
flora.
• The picture opposite shows circa 13 years of
planted tree growth on what had formerly been
typical Nardus dominated, tree-less, sheep
walk. The bright yellow-green colour is
succeeding Vaccinium myrtillus. The latter has
all but replaced the Nardus and Calluna vulgaris
is expanding downslope and the community is
clearly succeeding to recognizable W17 Upland
oak-birch woodland.
Plant/vegetation succession since the
removal of domestic stock and the planting
of native trees: The Story So Far
• Timeline: 2000-present in rough chronological order:
• Bent-fescue (NVC U4) and Nardus swards (U5) thicken-up and become rank;
• Bracken stands (NVC U20) thicken up and gain stature;
• Dwarf-shrubs (esp. blaeberry and to a lesser extent, ling-heather) begin to succeed from
suppressed populations within the Nardus swards especially, eventually replacing the latter near
completely within 10-15 years (NVC U5 succeeding to H18 and H12 and ultimately [with planted
native trees] becoming recognizable, bryophyte-rich, W17 upland oak-birch woodland);
• As early plantings mature and shade increases, bracken thins and bryophytes become prominent in
the flora. Flora clearly starting to resemble NVC W11 oak-birch woodland. On more neutral and
base-rich profiles, recognizable ash-elm W9 flora starts to develop under the increasing shade of
planted ash, wych elm, hazel, hawthorn etc. In wetter and flushed situations, tall-herb plant
communities begin to form under and around planted (W7) alder, bird cherry and willows;
• Typical woodland plants (e.g. wood sorrel, common dog-violet, wood anemone, pignut, Dryopteris
ferns, lemon scented-fern etc) become more prominent;
• On the higher, especially north facing ground (e.g. Rispie Lairs), great wood-rush (Luzula sylvatica)
succeeds from Nardus swards, replacing the latter near completely within 5-15 years;
• Natural regeneration from planted trees becomes increasingly frequent, especially hazel, bird
cherry and alder; Planted aspen starts suckering (note: some natural regeneration of ash and rowan
especially from extant remnant woodland fragments also occurs but is largely confined to the
margins of the burn adjacent the extant woodland fragments);
• Pictured right, spreading extant Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) in Hazel Linn.
Plant/vegetation succession since the
removal of domestic stock and the planting
of native trees: The Story So Far (cont’d)
• Blanket bog recovery. Sphagna increasing and notable plant species such as Bog Blaeberry
(Vaccinium uliginosum) increasing its coverage enormously. Note: some blanket bog restoration ‘re-
wetting’ has taken place at Rotten Bottom and Little Firthhope; Myrica gale established on some of
the lower lying mires;
• Tall-herb ‘ledge’ (NVC U17 Luzula-Geum community) vegetation including alpines (e.g. Mountain
Sorrel, Roseroot) move down hill and out of their inaccessible refuges onto the lower ground and
are becoming very prominent along almost the entire course of the Carrifran Burn, especially on
formerly largely bare gravel/shingle bars. This is perhaps the most ‘exciting’ change in the flora
since the change of management in 2000;
• April 2016: First formal record of Bluebell/Wild Hyacinth (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) at Carrifran.
This iconic woodland species was not recorded at Carrifran before this date, despite the area being
one of the most heavily botanized areas in the south of Scotland. Bluebells are spreading fairly
consistently since this first record and in some places, the flora is taking on the familiar look of
‘bluebell oakwood’ (NVC W11). In terms of the associated woodland flora this is, perhaps, the most
interesting, intriguing and most positive development yet;
• Planted montane willow scrub in Firthhope Corrie, beginning to resemble recognizable natural (NVC
W20) Salix-Luzula flora with associated tall-herb vegetation (e.g. Luzula sylvatica, Geum rivale,
Rhodiola rosea, Deschampsia cespitosa, Alchemilla glabra etc). Planted juniper scrub (W19) is
slower to resemble semi-natural formations but can be seen on the steeper slopes of Firthhope Rig;
Look out for surprises:
The march of the
bluebells
• Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-
scripta) was not recorded at
Carrifran while managed as sheep
walk.
• First formal record in 2016
(pictured, right, in Ashy Dean).
• Is now spreading fairly rapidly and
is forming recognizable (NVC W11)
‘bluebell oak wood’ on the better
brown earths.
What’s happening on the ground?

Leaf litter, woody debris, hazelnut, bryophytes, fungi, moss covered
(introduced) dead wood (birch).

The forest floor in the more mature plantings is taking on the familiar
characteristics of semi-natural woodland. Moder humus is forming and soil
fauna such as worms are increasing (much to the pleasure of the badgers!).