Graig Wood

Graig Wood
	Site of Special Scientific Interest
	View towards wood over other side of River Wye
	Location within Monmouthshire
Area of Search	Monmouthshire
Grid reference	SO533087
Coordinates	51°46′31″N2°40′39″W / 51.7754°N 2.6776°W Coordinates: 51°46′31″N2°40′39″W / 51.7754°N 2.6776°W
Interest	Biological
Area	14.3 hectares (0.143 km2; 0.0552 sq mi)
Notification	1981

Last updated June 18, 2019

Graig Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales.^[1] It forms part of the wider Hael Woods complex.

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 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 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.

Geography

The 14.3-hectare (35-acre) SSSI, notified in 1981, is located within the community of Trellech United, on the banks of the River Wye, 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of the town of Monmouth. It is 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of another SSSI, Lower Hael Wood.^[2]^[3]

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.

The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 215 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation.

The wood is jointly owned and managed by Gwent Wildlife Trust and the Forestry Commission.^[4]

Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) is a wildlife trust covering the area between the lower Wye and Rhymney rivers which forms the vice county of Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. It is a registered charity and a member of the Wildlife Trusts Partnership.

The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in England. It was formerly also responsible for Forestry in Wales and Scotland, however on 1 April 2013 Forestry Commission Wales merged with other agencies to become Natural Resources Wales, whilst two new bodies were established in Scotland on 1 April 2019. The commission was set up in 1919 to expand Britain's forests and woodland after depletion during the First World War. To do this, the commission bought large amounts of former agricultural land, eventually becoming the largest land owner in Britain. The Commission is divided into three divisions: Forestry England, Forestry Commission and Forest Research.

Wildlife and ecology

As with other woodland in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Graig Wood contains many local and rare tree species. The predominant species within the wood are ash ( Fraxinus excelsior ) and wych elm ( Ulmus glabra ), although other species present include black alder ( Alnus glutinosa ), common beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and small-leaved lime ( Tilia cordata ).^[1]

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.

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.

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.

The stream banks and old buildings within the wood are home to rich bryophyte colonies. Hart's-tongue fern ( Asplenium scolopendrium ) and snowdrops ( Galanthus ) also grow on the site.^[1]^[5]

Bryophyte terrestrial plants that lack vascular tissue

Bryophytes are an informal group consisting of three divisions of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. They are characteristically limited in size and prefer moist habitats although they can survive in drier environments. The bryophytes consist of about 20,000 plant species. Bryophytes produce enclosed reproductive structures, but they do not produce flowers or seeds. They reproduce via spores. Bryophytes are usually considered to be a paraphyletic group and not a monophyletic group, although some studies have produced contrary results. Regardless of their status, the name is convenient and remains in use as an informal collective term. The term "bryophyte" comes from Greek βρύον, bryon "tree-moss, oyster-green" and φυτόν, phyton "plant".

Asplenium scolopendrium, known as hart's-tongue or hart's-tongue fern is a fern in the genus Asplenium, of the Northern Hemisphere.

Galanthus is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single small white drooping bell shaped flower with six petal-like (petaloid) tepals in two circles (whorls). The smaller inner petals have green markings.

Dormice have been reported within the woodland.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust organization

The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 47 Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United Kingdom's natural heritage. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is managed by a Board of Trustees elected from its membership who provide overall direction for the development of the Trust and there are Advisory Committees. The work of the trust is carried out through staff and volunteers.

Bowdown and Chamberhouse Woods is a 66.8 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Crookham in Berkshire, notified in 1983. It is an area of ancient woodland lying on the scarp slope north of Greenham Common, close to the eastern edge of Newbury, most of which is a Nature Reserve open to the public.

Fiddler’s Elbow National Nature Reserve is a steep sided, woodland national nature reserve of 45 hectares in the Upper Wye Valley to the north of Monmouth in Wales, close to the Wales–England border. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its biological characteristics, containing a wide variety of flora.

Lancaut is a deserted village in Gloucestershire, England, located alongside the River Wye, around two miles north of Chepstow. It occupies a narrow-necked promontory formed by a curve of the river, which acts as the border between England and Wales. Little remains of the village today, except for the roofless church of St. James.

Caer Llan is a field studies centre, conference centre and former country house located at Lydart within the community of Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Monmouth. It is close to the top of a scarp slope with extensive views westwards over the valley of the River Trothy, and is accessed from the B4293 road.

Croes Robert Wood is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Gwent Wildlife Trust, the owners of the site, manage the woodland through methods of coppicing and charcoal burning to encourage its notable flora and fauna.

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Harper's Grove – Lord's Grove is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales.

Lydart is a dispersed hamlet within the community of Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Monmouth, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Trellech, and 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Mitchel Troy village, on the top of an escarpment which slopes steeply down to the valley of the River Trothy. The B4293 road passes through the area.

Livox Wood is a woodland and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales.

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References

1 2 3 "Graig Wood" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ "Graig Wood map" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet OL14 Wye Valley & Forest of Dean ISBN 9780319240953
↑ "Graig Wood". Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
1 2 "Gwent Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserves" (PDF). Gwent Wildlife Trust. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2012.

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[SSSI-1] 1 2 3 "Graig Wood" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[SSSImap-2] "Graig Wood map" (pdf). Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[OS-3] Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet OL14 Wye Valley & Forest of Dean ISBN 9780319240953

[CCW-4] "Graig Wood". Countryside Council for Wales . Retrieved 19 March 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[GWT-5] 1 2 "Gwent Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserves" (PDF). Gwent Wildlife Trust. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2012.

Graig Wood

Contents

Geography

Wildlife and ecology

Related Research Articles

References