Celtic Rainforests News Page

Looking back at 2023, the Celtic Rainforest Project has once again had a full year of events, collaboration, and successful steps in the fight to save our temperate rainforest habitats, here in Wales.

Little Owls (c) Gerallt Roberts — Little Owls sleeping

Controlling Invasive Species – A Case Study of Rhododendron ponticum

Having received an invitation to present a demonstration day to the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) staff, (now the Dorset National Landscape) and partners on the management of Rhododendron ponticum, Project Officers went to visit them in January.

We explained the complexities of the work, ranging from site assessments, ecological considerations, and possible necessary permissions; to the main methods to control them, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods, adding considerations about the effect of the time of year on things such as birds nesting or signs of the success of the treatment following the work.

Following over 30 years of Rhododendron work by the Snowdonia National Park, the Celtic Rainforest Project recommends a program of treatment of three stages over 5 years, to eradicate Rhododendron from a site: You can access our Rp Toolkit here - https://celticrainforests.wale...

By spreading this message there is hope that more organizations will be able to get to grips with the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum on their sites.

Is that a cloud...

To celebrate Dark Sky Wales Week, we organized a Pine Marten Talk and a Prosiect Nos Dark Sky walk in Ganllwyd, Dolgellau in February. In true Dark Sky conditions, the weather was overcast and drizzly - and no stars could be seen! So, our Dark Sky tour became a Pine Marten Walk instead!!

It was a great evening where Matt Davies from the Vincent Wildlife Trust discussed the history of the Pint Marten in Wales: How they were almost extinct in Wales and how the work of the VWT and its partners re-established populations of the Pine Marten into forests in Wales, and their subsequent dispersal.

To find out more about the Vincent Wildlife Trust and their work visit https://www.vwt.org.uk/project...

Working on Sensitive Sites

Our last major work on Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites in the Caerynwch Trail Woods, near the Clywedog Walk in Dolgellau began early in the year.

This was an interesting site as it lies within the wider Meirionnydd Oak Trees and Bat Sites Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and the Coedydd Dyffryn Wniwn SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest), and therefore certain permissions were needed when completing work.

To protect the integrity of the forest, this project is a long-term vision, with a gradual "halo" thinning of the conifers introduced around the few persevering broadleaf trees, giving these native trees time to adapt to any changes in wind levels, light changes, and humidity differences – protecting the woodlands from shock.

It is a great feeling when woodland owners agree with the vision for such a long term solution to restore and protect our Native Ancient Woodlands.

Ancient Woodland Restoration Demo Day

We also held an Ancient Woodland Restoration on Sensitive Sites Demonstration Day here in October, showcasing the good work completed so far.

We started with a brief introduction to the site and then there were two workshops during the day:

1. Practicalities of Ancient Woodland Restoration on sensitive sites presented by Adam Thorogood from Woodland Trust Cymru, and Callum Campbell the Contractor who completed the works on site from Forestry Services Ltd

2. Ecology of Temperate Rainforests in Wales, and the need for restoration Dave Lamacraft lower-plant specialist from Plantlife Cymru, and Sabine Nouvet from RSPB Cymru

It was an interesting day and a wonderful opportunity to meet likeminded people who either work in the industry or have an interest in Ancient Woodland sites.

Help from Volunteers!

We also organized a Volunteers' Day in the Nant Gwynant Valley with two separate sessions with the Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society - one session dealing with the American Plover, and a second session dealing with Rhododendron ponticum.

The American Skunk Cabbage was mechanically dug, and because it likes to grow in wet conditions this activity was very muddy!

The Rhododendron work was on the Hafodydd Brithion site - one of the last locations that has an intense Rhododendron infestation in Nant Gwynant, and we would take the work on the site out to tender in the new year.

Moving forward to 2024, we are working on several training modules, including one which will train volunteers on Alien Invasive Species recording. These will form the basis of a bespoke modules within the Eryri Ambassadors Scheme on the temperate rainforests of Wales. Look out for this valuable individual module in the new year.

Inspiring future Ecologists, Naturalists & Foresters

Our Celtic Rainforest Educational Sessions continued, and the southernmost site included in our Project - Gwenffrwd Dinas RSPB Cymru in May. This element of our project work is provided by Antur Natur, a local company that offers educational sessions and outdoor nature lessons.

Pupils from Ysgol Rhys Pritchard and Llangadog from the Llandovery area were welcomed, bringing the children out of the classroom and into our Celtic Rain Forests to learn about the forest and the birds that make this habitat their home.

Anita from Antur Natur also held a Teacher Training event in Tre'r Ddol, providing guidance and activities that Teachers can take back to their schools and implement when bringing the class out into nature.

A total of 1563 children and young people and 195 Teachers, Teaching Assistants or those working in the field have benefited from these Celtic Rain Forests Educational Sessions, against an original target of eight hundred.

Many thanks to Anita Daimond from Antur Natur for her work on this element within our Project

Citizen Scientists help on World Rainforest Day!

On the 8th of June we welcomed World Rainforest Day, a day to "celebrate the importance of healthy, stable rainforests for climate, biodiversity, culture and livelihoods”.

Working in conjunction with the North Wales Wildlife Trust, and Coventry University, we offered a session "Become Citizen Scientists!" in Betws-y-Coed, which fed data into postdoctoral research with Oluwadunsin Adekola PhD.

The session included the allocation of two test squares of three-by-three meters to participants; one clear of invasive species and the other with an invasive species, and then they had to identify other plant species within each square.

Everyone at the session could see how harmful invasive species such as Rhododendron ponticum and Cherry Laurel were to the native plant life.

We look forward to finding out what the research has found once it is complete.

Citizen Scientists Pilot Project Presentation

More Money for our Celtic Rainforests!

Dŵr Cymru, our partners in Cwm Elan and RSPB Cymru, have successfully applied for funding from the Welsh Government's "Woodland Investment Grant" (TWIG) - to hold a festival to raise awareness and celebrate the Celtic rainforests of Wales in Cwm Elan, but ultimately to restore Temperate Rainforest next to an area that our Celtic Rainforest Project has already completed work on!

This is great news for the expansion of valuable Celtic Rainforests real estate in the Elan Valley!

Garden Escapers

In August, together with the North Wales Wildlife Trust, we presented Garden Escape sessions.

The aim of these sessions was to "engage with gardeners to identify and prevent 'future invaders'... [as]... ornamental garden plants spread from gardens, are one of the main sources of invasive non-native species".

It was an opportunity for gardeners to consider what they introduce to their gardens, to identify and prevent 'future invaders.’

👉 Get to the root of the matter...

🌱 Know your plants

🛑 Stop the spread

♻️ Careful composting

For more information visit: https://www.nonnativespecies.o...

Networking

In the Autumn we welcomed three separate organisations from across Britain and Ireland to North Wales: Borrowdale National Trust from the Lake District / Glenveagh National Park from North-West Ireland and a mixed team from Natural England.

Networking events such as these are essential to building professional relationships, expanding personal networks, and gaining access to valuable information and/or resources.

It provides opportunities to meet other professionals in similar fields, to share ideas, to learn about the latest trends and to hear about different techniques used for similar works and projects.

Thank you to everyone who was interested in learning more about our Celtic Rainforest Project.

Tree Seed Collecting

The autumn is also Tree Seed Season, and we along with Woodland Trust Cymru, RSPB Cymru and Dŵr Cymru Cwm Elan Valley welcomed volunteers who were interested in collecting tree seeds in both North and Mid-Wales.

The tree seeds collected ranged from chunky Acorns to small confetti-like Birch tree seeds, to plump red Hawthorn fruits (of which there were so many this year!!).

In the Elan Valley we were then tasked with distribution of the seeds collected; on another piece of land within the Valley, providing a Tree Seed source in the hope that some of the seeds will germinate on the site.

With the other seeds they will be taken to local Tree Nurseries, such as Eryri National Park's, to be grown as trees of local origin, which have evolved to certain conditions, and are therefore more suitable for planting in specific areas.

INNS Mapper

The INNS Mapper app and website was recently successfully launched in Wales, England, and Scotland

It is a free to use open access resource which aims to provide an effective asset to support Invasive Alien Species work programs and coordinate efforts. Data reported to INNS Mapper is publicly available for anyone to use, and INNS peer validation simplifies the validation process.

Alongside North Wales Wildlife Trust, we held a number of INNS Mapper events to pull people in, and to spread the work about this valuable free resource in the ongoing battle against Invasive Alien Species.

For more information about this exciting new resource, visit the website or download the app: https://innsmapper.org/home

Forecasting

As we approach the end of the year, there was an opportunity to look back at what we have achieved this year, where we are now and where we want to go next year.

We took the time to predict the upcoming work packages we expect to issue over the next 6 months, keeping an eye on the remaining budget as we begin the sixth year of the Project.

Over the past few months, the Officers have awarded fourteen new contracts to six local companies, with a total of 35 work steps amounting to £65,407.00 for the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum in our Celtic Rainforests.