Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove

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Swanpool Wood and Furnance Grove
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) - geograph.org.uk - 847133.jpg
Example: Greater Butterfly Orchid
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search Gloucestershire
Grid reference SO541107
Coordinates 51°47′37″N2°39′58″W / 51.793511°N 2.666208°W / 51.793511; -2.666208 Coordinates: 51°47′37″N2°39′58″W / 51.793511°N 2.666208°W / 51.793511; -2.666208
InterestBiological
Area13.59 hectare
Notification 1984
Natural England website

Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove (grid reference SO541107 ) is a 13.59-hectare (33.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom), in Gloucestershire in South West England. [1] [2] The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). [3]

Ordnance Survey National Grid System of geographic grid references used in Great Britain

The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude. It is often called British National Grid (BNG).

A conservation designation is a name and/or acronym which explains the status of an area of land in terms of conservation or protection.

Protected area location which receives protection because of its recognised natural, ecological or cultural landscape values

Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.

Contents

Location

It is in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an area of some importance in southern Great Britain, and supports many rare species. The woods and groves are important areas of woodland conservation work, coppicing and replanting. The semi-natural woodland is plentiful and continuous along the gorge. [1] There are two separate SSSI designations for the gorge being Lower Wye Gorge and Upper Wye Gorge.

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.

Great Britain Island in the North Atlantic off the northwest coast of continental Europe

Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. In 2011, Great Britain had a population of about 61 million people, making it the world's third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan. The island of Ireland is situated to the west of Great Britain, and together these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands, form the British Isles archipelago.

Wye Valley Woodlands/ Coetiroedd Dyffryn Gwy are recognised as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive. [4] [5]

A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora. They are to protect the 220 habitats and approximately 1000 species listed in annex I and II of the directive which are considered to be of European interest following criteria given in the directive. They must be chosen from the Sites of Community Importance by the State Members and designated SAC by an act assuring the conservation measures of the natural habitat.

Flora

The site comprises a block of ancient broad-leaved woodland on Carboniferous limestone shales. There is an Old Red Sandstone outcrop to the west. There are various streams and flushes in the north-east of Swanpool Wood. The growth reflects the nature of the soils. The woodland is made up of Ash, Small-leaved Lime and Hazel. The damper areas support Alder. [1]

The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period 358.9 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, 298.9 Mya. The name Carboniferous means "coal-bearing" and derives from the Latin words carbō ("coal") and ferō, and was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822.

Limestone Sedimentary rocks made of calcium carbonate

Limestone is a carbonate sedimentary rock that is often composed of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, foraminifera, and molluscs. Its major materials are the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). A closely related rock is dolomite, which contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. In old USGS publications, dolomite was referred to as magnesian limestone, a term now reserved for magnesium-deficient dolomites or magnesium-rich limestones.

Old Red Sandstone Assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region

The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also extends northwards into Greenland and Svalbard. In Britain it is a lithostratigraphic unit to which stratigraphers accord supergroup status and which is of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, ORS is often used in literature on the subject. The term was coined to distinguish the sequence from the younger New Red Sandstone which also occurs widely throughout Britain.

Bramble, Dog's Mercury, Bluebell are prevalent in the ground flora together with ferns and ivy, Hart's-tongue and wavy hair-grass. Uncommon species include Herb Paris, Greater Butterfly Orchid and Narrow-leaved Bitter-cress. [1]

Bramble

A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus Rubus, the blackberries and raspberries and dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs such as roses. Bramble or brambleberry sometimes refers to the blackberry fruit or products of its fruit, such as bramble jelly.

<i>Hyacinthoides non-scripta</i> species of plant

Hyacinthoides non-scripta is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is known in English as the common bluebell or simply bluebell, a name which is used in Scotland to refer to the harebell, Campanula rotundifolia. In spring, H. non-scripta produces a nodding, one-sided inflorescence of 5–12 tubular, sweet-scented violet–blue flowers, with strongly recurved tepals, and 3–6 long, linear, basal leaves.

<i>Cardamine impatiens</i> species of plant

Cardamine impatiens, the narrowleaf bittercress or narrow-leaved bitter-cress, is a plant species in the genus Cardamine of the family Brassicaceae. It is a slender, biennial herb, that produces sterile leaves in the first year, one to several flowering stems during the next. Its leaves are pinnate with several pairs of lanceolate, dentate leaflets and a terminal, slightly longer leaflet. The short petals surpass the calyx by half of its length. The seeds are arranged in one row on each side of the central membrane of the narrow pod and are ejected out in a shower due to the tension formed as the seed pod (silique) dries. It grows on walls, open ground in shady places in forests usually disturbed by man.

Related Research Articles

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Sylvan House Barn

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Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve

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Lower Wye Gorge SSSI

Lower Wye Gorge is a 65-hectare (160-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified 1987. The site includes two Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves being Ban-y-gor Wood and Lancaut. The Natural England citation states a revision for Lancaut inclusion.

Dymock Woods SSSI

Dymock Woods is a 53-hectare (130-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1990. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Upper Wye Gorge

Upper Wye Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological and geological characteristics, around Symonds Yat in the Upper Wye Valley on the Wales–England border. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Nagshead SSSI

Nagshead is a 120.12-hectare (296.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and is located near Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and was notified in 1972. It lies within the Forest of Dean Forest Park and is part held as a reserve by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The SSSI is a relatively small area of the much larger nature reserve of RSPB Nagshead, which is a 1,250 acres (510 ha) site owned and managed by the RSPB and the Forestry Commission. The SSSI lies to the east of the Nagshead Plantation and consists of two units of assessment by Natural England.

Astridge Wood

Astridge Wood is a 19.42-hectare (48.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1985. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Bigsweir Woods

Bigsweir Woods is a 48.16-hectare (119.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1984. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Blaisdon Hall

Blaisdon Hall is a 0.07-hectare (0.17-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1995.

Brooks Head Grove

Brooks Head Grove is an 11.9-hectare (29-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House

Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House is a 0.01-hectare (0.025-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1991. The site was previously notified as Caerwood, Tidenham and lies within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Dingle Wood

Dingle Wood is a 9.95-hectare (24.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). The wood is located within the Forest of Dean Forest Park and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Highbury Wood

Highbury Wood is a 50.74-hectare (125.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1983.

Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury

Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury is a 27.03-hectare (66.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985.

Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods

Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods is a 69.2-hectare (171-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

The Hudnalls

The Hudnalls is a 94.4-hectare (233-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Natural England SSSI information on citation, map and unit detail
  2. ↑ Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  3. ↑ Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Key Wildlife Sites
  4. ↑ Information on Wye Valley Woodlands/ Coetiroedd Dyffryn Gwy Special Area of Conservation designation
  5. ↑ Joint Nature Conservation Committee Listing of Special Areas of Conservation
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