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Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms |
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Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms |
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This page last updated 07/05/06
Scots pine 'native' coniferous
forests
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Click here to get a Multimap location map of the area (postcode: PH25 3DA - Nethy Bridge post office; PH25 3EF - Osprey centre).
How the Cairngorms looks this week http://www.ecn.ac.uk/photos/photos.asp?site=CAI (or try http://www.ecn.ac.uk/photos/index.asp) Check the weather http://www.phy.hw.ac.uk/resrev/aws/weather.htm or http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/park/weather.htm How mountains influence climate in the UK http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/altitude.shtml |
| The pine forest ecosystem | |
| The Forestry Commission. The Cairngorms Forest and Woodland Framework document is full of facts and figures and management strategies (use the search facility). | http://www.forestry.gov.uk/ |
| Description of Abernethy Forest a UK special protection area (SPA). | http://www.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1925 |
| Scottish Forest Alliance summary. The SFA, with £10m from BP, is regenerating Scotland's native woodlands, furthering the aims of carbon sequestration. | http://www.scottishforestalliance.org.uk/sites/abernethy.asp |
| Caledonian Forest information centre | http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.contents2.html |
| Caledonian Forest species profile | http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.contents22.html |
| Caledonian Forest - research on forest ecosystem | http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.research.html |
| Caledonian forest - ecological approaches to restoration | http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.alanwf.html |
| Scots Pine Woods - from University of Portsmouth - teaching unit on forest ecology | http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/geog/teaching/ecol/be2cont.htm |
| Tourist information site for Dell Woods, Abernethy Forest. Has some background information (along with holiday cottages). | http://freespace.virgin.net/john.fleming3/forest.htm |
| Cairngorm landscapes by Dr Adrian Hall, has a page on late-glacial vegetation featuring pioneer species from 14,000 to 11,000 years ago (primary succession). A page on the Holocene covers the introduction of trees to the area 10,000 years ago and subsequent changes associated with a cooler and wetter climate around 6,000 to 5,000 years ago. | http://www.fettes.com/Cairngorms/ Holocene vegetation Late glacial vegetation |
| Microclimate Many A-level texts include material on urban microclimates, but not other small-scale environments. These notes on woodlands may help. | The effects of a woodland on microclimate |
Birds The native pine forest of Scotland is an important habitat for Ospreys (nesting), Capercaille and Scottish Crossbills.
Biodiversity Species Action plan for the Capercaille http://www.ukbap.org.uk/ukplans.aspx?ID=597
Birds at Boat of Garten. http://www.boatofgarten.com/birds.htm
More on birds from the RSPB. Abernethy Forest Nature Reserve is home to the Loch Garten Ospreys - look out for the webcam.
BBC News story - Legal threat - the EC has warned the Scottish Executive its measures to halt a catastrophic decline in Capercaillie numbers do not go far enough (Feb 2005). Also has links to other news stories on Capercaille. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4285797.stm Capercaillie numbers have doubled in five years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3829929.stm Scottish Executive cash to save Capercaille. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1520000/1520533.stm BBC News story - Dundee Univ research on Capercaille. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3250606.stm
Trees for Life species profiles
| Podsol soil profile This type of soil is particularly associated with coniferous woodland vegetation at northern latitudes where the climate is typically cool and wet. Precipitation rates are greater than evapotranspiration, causing water to move downwards through the soil. The litter layer, dominated by waxy pine needles, decays very slowly. This causes a thick acid humus layer to form on the surface (mor humus). Rainwater passing through mor becomes highly acidic and able to chemically break down clay, iron and aluminium. Acid water moving down through the profile causes soluble bases to leach, clays to be moved and the washing out (eluviation) of iron and aluminium sesquioxides. The upper layers (A horizon) of the soil, depleted of these substances, becomes ash-grey - bleached of colour. Lower down the profile (B horizon) redeposition occurs. A thin layer of iron (an iron pan) may be found, followed by a dark humus layer and an orange-brown clay horizon. The layers are sharply defined partly because there is little earthworm activity (mixing). | |
| Notes on soil types. | http://www.pupilvision.com/uppersixth/soiltypes.htm |
| Characteristics of podzol soils (Macaulay Inst.) | http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/explorescotland/podzols.html |
| Macaulay Institute introduction to soils for Higher Geography (pdf downloads). Includes sheet on soil properties. | http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilposters/index.html |
| Grassland versus forest soils. | http://jimswan.com/111/soil/soil_profiles.jpg |
| Soils and vegetation (profiles). | http://jimswan.com/111/soil/soils.jpg |
| Peaty podzols in Scotland (profile & map) | http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/explorescotland/podzols_map.html http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/explorescotland/soils1.html |
| Meterological conditions for the Cairngorms (see also the ECN's weekly photos). | http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Database/index.html |
Management
The Cairngorms Forest and Woodland Framework document from the Forestry Commission. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/ Last found at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/Oldsite.nsf/ByUnique/HCOU-4U4J88
"New life for Scotland's ancient forest" Plant Talk magazine article which includes a map of the ancient Caledonian Forest distribution and native forest remnants in the mid 1990s. http://www.plant-talk.org/stories/9scot.html See also http://www.scottishforestalliance.org.uk/sites/abernethy.asp
Nature reserves and local people. Badenoch and Strathspey case study. http://www.caledonia.org.uk/socialland/reserves.htm
Saving School Wood, Abernethy. http://www.leopardmag.co.uk/feats/woodland.html
Would you like to see more pages like this at this site? Obvious errors? Email me and let me know.
