Good Crieff !
Crieff Woods
Size: 152.47ha
Conservation rating SAC, two SSSIs - Comrie Woods and Drummond Lochs. Part of Drummond Lochs SSSI is also an SPA and Ramsar site
Core profile
There are two woodland areas beside each within the Comrie Woods – one of the two Crieff Woods Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Comrie Woods are mostly Atlantic Oakwood but there is also wet alder woodland in the damper valley conditions and some ash/elm woodland on steep river banks. Ancient sessile oakwood is also to the fore in the Drummond Lochs SSSI, with smaller areas of alder-and –ash dominated wood beside the lochs.
What’s special about them?
These are some of the biggest old broadleaved woodlands in Tayside. The history of woodland management here, including past coppicing, has given Comrie Woods a varied structure. This provides living space for many kinds of plants and creatures. Comrie is great for lichen species. It had 760 at the last count! Several scarce mosses and liverworts live on tree trunks here. Add in the sound of greylag and pink-footed geese on the waters of the Drummond Lochs and you’ve got a rare blend for botanists and birdwatchers.
What was up?
- Native trees shaded-out by spread and former plantings such as sycamore and beech
- Domestic sheep and cattle with unrestricted access to Drummond Lochs woodland area
- Overgrazing by roe and fallow deer at Drummond Lochs
- Bracken dominating an area formerly opened up for native tree re-generation
- Lack of native tree regeneration in area
- Lack of public awareness of conservation value of woodland
What’s been done?
- Community meeting to discuss ways forward
- Removal of exotic broadleaved trees
- Fencing (340m) to control domestic livestock
- Deer cull to reduce numbers to less than 5 per 100 ha
- Ground preparation through bracken removal to assist native tree re-generation
- Local collection of native tree see
- Planting of locally sourced native seedlings
- Access works on footpaths (2,100m)
What’s next?
Core connections
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