Celtic Rainforests News Page

Celtic Rainforests Newsletter No:8

Step into Spring……

As the winter gradually ends, the mornings lighten up and nature starts sprouting its spring blossoms, we at the Celtic Rainforests LIFE Project look forward to a summer of activity! We will be attending shows and festivals, and arranging walks, talks and seasonal activities – so plenty of opportunities for us take time out in the magestic Celtic Rainforests of Wales!

We have waved goodbye to staff welcomed back those who have been away, we’ve created music in the woodland, and have been hard at work continuing our ambitious programme to eliminate Rhododendron ponticum from significant areas of Wales.

Read on to find out more...

Rhodies’s by rail!

Over the winter, the project has been hard at work commissioning the management of Rhododendron ponticum (Rp)along significant lengths of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway (FFWHR), from Beddgelert up to Dyffryn Maentwrog. The work was undertaken by Copa Countryside Services, who’s owner Dave Bateson said “it was really satisfying to work on this contract in cooperation with the FFWHR, but the best part has been having the chance to clear the railway line of Rp, through a landscape which we’ve already been clearing for several years, to make it contiguous with the rest of habitat restoration work in this area.”

Gethin Davies the Celtic Rainforests Wales Project Manager said: “Sometimes agreeing work between two large organisations can take a lot of time. In this case, it took us almost two years from start of discussions to contracting out the work. This has been a key piece in the jigsaw where Rp control is concerned and is a welcome progression not only for our project but also for numerous landowners who have worked hard to eradicate Rp from their land adjoining the FFWHR tracks.”

The railway runs through the heart of Meirionnydd’s temperate rainforests - in places, it passes through one of our target Special Conservation Areas (SAC). It is estimated that Rp has been treated on around 25km of the entire railway, and fits into a much wider program within a project to try to dispose of Rp within the temperate woodlands of Wales. Any Rp that is not treated can produce seed, and therefore facilitate the spread of the plant onto neighbouring areas. So, by treating the Rp that is along the track, and removing a key seedbed, the likelihood of further spread in the future will be reduced.

With thanks to Dave Bateson from Copa Countryside for the images.

Rope Access Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway

Angels rescue the Celtic rainforests with a halo!

There are stunning examples of temperate rainforests along the Afon Wnion near Dolgellau, including the area around the famous Torrent Walk. However, as recent as the 1950s, huge swathes of these woodlands were lost when the original stock of trees was cleared to make way for conifer trees, which grow much quicker than our native broadleaf species. These trees are not native to the British Isles, and offer little to native wildlife in comparison to the native woodland which grew there previously.

To help restore the temperate rainforest habitat in the area, the project has commissioned some thinning of a dense conifer stand which is located close to the Torrent Walk, on an ancient woodland site. The work constituted the thinning of the dense conifer stand using a halo thinning method – this is when a ring of the conifer trees is felled around any remaining ancient natives within the woodland in order to allow light to penetrate the forest floor and encourage natural regen to grow back successfully. The hope is that the natural ecology of the woodland will be renewed over an extended period, and bring the woodlands back to a more natural status. The process of renewing the woodland is a slow one, and will take decades and several further steps before the woodland is restored to a natural temperate forest, but we as a project are proud of being able to start this long-term process.

Pictured above: a harvester from Forestry Services Ltd, Machynlleth, thinning the woodland nearby Torrent Walk, February 2023.

Grazing in the Mawddach estuary

Recently, the Celtic Rainforests LIFE Project facilitated the introduction of two highland steers to three woodland reserves in the Mawddach area. The Celtic Rainforest LIFE Project builds on the evidence collected some years ago through the LIFE N2K programme, (LIFE11 NAT/UK/385), which identified that the lack of grazing was proving detrimental to the condition of some woodlands. By having no grazing at all within the woodlands, a thick layer of bramble and ferns can develop in the under-storey, which can be highly detrimental to flowering plants, natural regeneration and populations of lower plants which thrive in these woodlands. With the correct level of grazing pressure, we can keep the lower canopy open for the benefit of the status of the woodland.

The highland cattle, Derw and Ted, are a sturdy breed that have were moved from other areas of Celtic Rainforest, also around the Mawddach area. Because of the quiet nature of this breed, they are very appropriate for grazing sites with public access. Despite this, injuries or ill health can still occur though and so project staff and the grazier regularly check to make sure that they are healthy.

The team also regularly assesses the habitat, to make sure that it, too, is healthy. Baseline monitoring was conducted by project staff prior to their introduction and photo-monitoring will continue a quarterly basis throughout the project to make sure the grazing is having the right effect.

Pine Marten Walk and Talk

To celebrate the start of Dark Skies Wales Week, our project, organised a Celtic Rainforest Pine Marten Talk and Dark Skies Walk at Ganllwyd, Dolgellau. In true Dark Skies fashion, the weather was drizzly and overcast – and not a single star could be seen – so our Dark Skies Walk evolved into a Pine Marten Walk!

A great evening was had where Matt Davies from the Vincent Wildlife Trust discussed the history of the Pine Marten in Wales, how they were almost extinct and the work of the Vincent Wildlife Trust and its partners to re-establish populations of the pine marten in woodlands in Wales.

To learn more about the work of the Vincent Wildlife Trust go to https://www.vwt.org.uk/project...

Celtic Rainforest Woodland Orchestra

What do you hear in the Forest? Many of the sounds of the Celtic Rainforests are relaxing and have a mindful atmosphere if you take the time to listen to them. A group of children and their parents went out into the Celtic Rainforests of Dyffryn Maentwrog to record and observe the sounds they could hear. We heard the river, the birds, the rain, and reflected on the sounds that make up the Celtic Rainforest in Wales. Whilst out and about, we tasked the children with collecting material from the woodland that we later used to create percussion instruments. Alongside this, we sat around a table to make a recording of different words related to the forest. A story timeline was created out of the words, and then a musical composition was performed by the children. The composition will be available on the website. A good day making meaningful memories was had by all who attended, and everyone went home with their hearts full!

Walk of the Season - Bluebells

A walk will be held this season in the Coed Garth-Gell, with a stop for mindfulness and poetry. Join us to experience bluebells at their best, and witness their colour, shape, and aroma. The site is rich in Celtic Rainforest indicator species and conjures images from mythology and ages past.