| Tayside Biodiversity - Tayside
Biodiversity Action Plan - Woodland - Native Pinewoods |
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DEFINITION
Native pinewood habitats are relicts of the Caledonian Forest which once covered
a large part of the Scottish Highlands and are an important western representative
of the European boreal forests. They are dominated by selfsown Scots pine Pinus
sylvestris and occur throughout the central and north-eastern Grampians and in
the northern and western Highlands of Scotland. Pinewood remnants are mostly
found on poor podsolised soils and are confined to the upland areas of Tayside.
Pine is the characteristic tree species in native pinewoods though they also
contain varying amounts of Birch Betula spp. and other broadleaves, with Juniper
Juniperus communis often an important component in the understorey. The National
Vegetation Classification (NVC) divides pine woodland (W18) into 5 sub-communities.
Tayside’s native pinewoods include elements characteristic of the drier
eastern areas (Luzula sub-community – W18c and the Spagnum – Erica
subcommunity– W18d) found mainly in the wetter west. |
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CURRENT STATUS AND
EXTENT OF HABITAT
The Forestry Commission’s Caledonian Pinewood Inventory of 1998 indicates
the total CPI pinewood area in Tayside as 1,288 hectares.
A survey carried out by the Tayside Native Woodland Initiative in 1995 estimated
that native pinewoods accounted for 8% (1,454 ha.) of the total native woodland
resource in Tayside. A review of Woodland Grant Scheme activity for this Habitat
Action Plan between 1995 and 2000 identified that new native pinewood creation
through new planting and regeneration has increased this area to a total of 4,104
ha, more than doubling the resource since the original survey in 1995.
KEY SITES
The UK Pinewood Habitat Action Plan is concerned with woodlands covered by the
Caledonian Pinewood Inventory. This is somewhat restrictive for the purposes
of the local Biodiversity Action Plan as Tayside only contains two CPI woods
at Black Wood of Rannoch and Meggernie, Glen Lyon. There are plenty of other
good pinewood habitats, including some newly created ones. There is a total of
some 12,275 ha. of Scots pine woodland in Tayside, including the Caledonian remnants
which were extensively planted for timber over the last 300 years often using
native origin seed.
In recent years there has been a deliberate programme of identifying and establishing
new woodlands which simulate the conditions found in the ancient Caledonian pinewoods. |
Caledonian
Pinewood Inventory sites:
Black Wood of Rannoch
Meggernie, Glen Lyon |
Other examples can be found at:
Montreathmont, Angus
Cross Bog, Glen Clova
Meikleour Estates, Blairgowrie
Bruar, Clunes, Deuchary Hill and Glen Derby (Atholl Estates)
Dunfallandy, Pitlochry Estates
Glenogil, Angus
Craiganour, Highland Perthshire
Talladh-A-Bheithe, Rannoch. |
NATURE CONSERVATION IMPORTANCE
Native pinewood remnants generally occur on heavily leached, podsolic soils and
do not support the same diversity of plants and animals compared with other habitats.
There is, however, a characteristic plant and animal community, including many
rare species associated with this habitat. |
KEY SPECIES
P = UK Priority species C = UK species of conservation concern
| Mammals |
Red squirrel |
Sciurus vulgaris |
P |
| Pine marten |
Martes martes |
C |
| Birds |
Capercaillie |
Tetrao urogallus |
P |
| Redstart |
Phoenicurus phoenicurus |
C |
| Great spotted woodpecker |
Dendrocopus major |
C |
| Scottish crossbill |
Loxia scotica |
P |
| Spotted flycatcher |
Muscicapa striata |
P |
| Invertebrates |
Narrow-headed wood ant |
Formica exsecta |
P |
| Shining guest ant |
Formicoxenus nitidulus |
P |
| Scottish wood ant |
Formica aquilonia |
P |
| Caledonian sac spider |
Clubiona subsultans |
P |
| a spider |
Diploena torva |
C |
| a spider |
Haplodrassus soerenseni |
C |
| a spider |
Robertus scoticus |
C |
| Cuckoo wasp |
Chrysura hirsute |
P |
| Pearl-bordered fritillary |
Boloria euphrosyne |
P |
| Cousin German moth |
Paradiarsia sobrina |
P |
| Higher Plants |
Wild hyacinth |
Hyacinthoides non-scripta |
C |
| Juniper |
Juniperus communis |
P |
| Small cow-wheat |
Melampyrum sylvaticum |
P |
| Twinflower |
Linnaea borealis |
P |
| Fungi and
Lichens |
Blue corky spine fungus |
Hydnellum caeruleum |
P |
| Brown corky spine fungus |
Hydnellum peckii |
P |
| Drab tooth fungus |
Bankera fuligineoalba |
P |
| Globe scented pine fungus |
Phellodon tomentosus |
P |
| Stump lichen |
Caldonia botrytis |
P |
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NATIONAL
BIODIVERSITY CONTEXT
Within the European Community this priority habitat type occurs only in Scotland.
Although Scandinavian countries hold a far greater amount of Scots Pine woodland,
some Scottish pinewoods represent genetically distinct oceanic variants and are,
therefore, extremely important in a European context. The Pinus sylvestris found
here has been identified as an endemic sub-species scotia. Studies of the terpenes
in the resin of shoots have shown that there are biochemical differences between
the pinewoods which prove the genetic differences. These studies have identified
seven
distinct biochemical regions: Tayside’s native pinewoods are found within
the South Central biochemical zone.
These forests are important western representatives of the European boreal forest
in which structure and succession are determined mainly by fires caused by lightening.
Although they do not support a large diversity of plants and animals compared
with some more fertile habitats, there is a characteristic plant and animal community
which includes many rare and uncommon species.
The objectives of the UK Habitat Action Plan for Native Pinewoods are:
Maintain remnant
native pinewood areas listed on the Caledonian Pinewood
Inventory and restore their natural diversity of composition
and structure.
Regenerate and expand a total of 35% (5,600 ha.) of the
current wooded area of remnant native pinewoods equalling
16,000 ha. (1995 figures) by 2005, predominantly by natural
regeneration within the core and regeneration zones.
Create the conditions by 2005 for a further 35% of the
current area to be naturally regenerated over the following
20 years, mainly by the removal of non-native planted species
and/or genotypes and the control of browsing levels. |
In the local context, the Tayside share of the UK HAP figure for the expansion
of Caledonian Pinewood Inventory core area should be 400 ha. Another aim within
Tayside is to create a further 4,530 ha. elsewhere within the pinewood range
by 2005. The Tayside Biodiversity Action Plan (TBAP) share of this target is
3,210 ha. within the Perth and Kinross local authority area and 1,320 ha. in
the Angus local authority area. These figures have been calculated by reference
to the biological potential for pinewoods in the TBAP area. |
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