Gaer Wood

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Gaer Wood
Site of Special Scientific Interest

View westwards - geograph.org.uk - 324047.jpg

Road to Gaer Wood, with the woods at the bottom of the hill
Monmouthshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Monmouthshire
Area of Search Monmouthshire
Grid reference SO464057
Coordinates 51°44′54″N2°46′35″W / 51.7483°N 2.7763°W / 51.7483; -2.7763 Coordinates: 51°44′54″N2°46′35″W / 51.7483°N 2.7763°W / 51.7483; -2.7763
Interest Biological
Area 13.6 hectares (0.136 km2; 0.0525 sq mi)
Notification 1981 (1981)

Gaer Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. [1]

Site of Special Scientific Interest Conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation. The acronym "SSSI" is often pronounced "triple-S I".

Monmouthshire County

Monmouthshire is a county in south-east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire of which it covers the eastern 60%. The largest town is Abergavenny. Other towns and large villages are Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor and Usk. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north.

Wales Country in northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon, its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.

Contents

Geography

The 13.6-hectare (34-acre) SSSI, notified in 1981, is located within the community of Trellech United, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town of Monmouth. [2] [3] The woodland is privately owned. [1] [4]

A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England. In 2016 there were 870 communities in Wales.

Trellech village in Trellech United, Monmouthshire, Wales

Trellech is a village and parish in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. It is in the community of Trellech United and located 5 miles (8 km) south of Monmouth and 4 miles (6.4 km) north-north-west of Tintern on a plateau above the Wye and Usk Valleys in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are three Bronze Age standing stones in the village, known as Harold's Stones. The church of St Nicholas is a Grade I listed building.

Wildlife and ecology

As with other woodland in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Gaer Wood contains many local and rare tree species. The main species found in the wood are common ash ( Fraxinus excelsior ), field maple ( Acer campestre ) and wych elm ( Ulmus glabra ), along with localised occurrences of beech ( Fagus sylvatica ). [1]

Wye Valley valley straddling the border between England and Wales

The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in Britain.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Designated area of countryside in England, Wales or Northern Ireland

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an area of countryside in England, Wales or Northern Ireland which has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of their national importance, by the relevant public body: Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. In place of AONB, Scotland uses the similar national scenic area (NSA) designation. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty enjoy levels of protection from development similar to those of UK national parks, but unlike with national parks the responsible bodies do not have their own planning powers. They also differ from national parks in their more limited opportunities for extensive outdoor recreation.

<i>Fraxinus excelsior</i> species of plant

Fraxinus excelsior, known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains. The northernmost location is in the Trondheimsfjord region of Norway. The species is widely cultivated and reportedly naturalised in New Zealand and in scattered locales in the United States and Canada.

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Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gaer Wood" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Gaer Wood map" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet OL14 Wye Valley & Forest of Dean ISBN   9780319240953
  4. ↑ "Local Welsh farmers lead the field in national competition to save England's ancient hedgerows and woodlands". Gwent Wildlife Trust . Retrieved 19 March 2012.
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