A woodland warning for Perthshire

Rampaging rhododendrons are one of the major threats to Britain’s native woodlands. The Woodland Trust’s report State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2021 says just 7% of our native woodlands are in “good ecological condition”.

A lack of nature corridors between isolated woodland habitats has had a devastating impact on some species.

Some woodland birds, including the lesser redpoll and capercaillie, have plummeted in numbers by 80% since 1970.

The fall in biodiversity is despite the overall area of woodland cover doubling over the past century. This is because most new woodland comprises nonnative trees less suited to supporting native wildlife.

At Kinclaven Bluebell Wood in Perthshire, local volunteers are helping the Woodland Trust.

As well as helping to increase the woodland’s area by 50 acres, two-thirds of its original size, they have also been ripping out rhododendrons that were overwhelming the ecosystem.

Ian Riches, who leads the Woodland Working Group at Kinclaven, said: “The rhododendrons have come from the Victorian era of the estate that owned the woods at that time, and who planted them.

“They were just in a corner of the woods but they have taken over. When you consider that they are called Kinclaven Bluebell Woods, there is one area where we don’t get bluebells because the rhododendrons have just eradicated everything else.”

Volunteers managed to clear more than an acre of rhododendrons before lockdown halted efforts and plan to continue the campaign once Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Rhododendrons are just one of the many threats to native woodlands.

Ash dieback, which threatens 80% of the UK’s ash trees, and overgrazing by herbivores such as deer were also highlighted in the trust’s report.

The trust said it is bad news for climate change because ancient woodlands play an important role as carbon “sinks”.

Although they make up just a quarter of all woodland in the UK, ancient woodlands tie-up 36% of all the carbon held by the country’s tree cover.

Abi Bunker, director of conservation and external affairs at the Woodland Trust said: “The warning signs in this report are loud and clear. If we don’t tackle the threats facing our woods and trees, we will severely damage the UK’s ability to address the climate and nature crises.

“Our wildlife havens are suffering.”

WOOD WORK: Ian Riches has been clearing Kinclaven Bluebell Wood of rhododendrons.