Wet and Wild Woods by Kirsty Jackson

What better place for Autumnwatch to visit than a Cumbrian oak woodland in the midst of its autumnal splendour. As Chris and Kate informed us - Great Wood in Borrowdale is an Atlantic oak wood, although you may find it under various different names such as upland oak wood, or old oak sessile wood but it is typical of wet and windy western Britain from the south-west to north-west. Internationally important both as a habitat and in the face of climate change, this wood has a wonderful mix of trees, oak, ash, holly, rowan and hazel alongside a rich understory of grasses and ground cover plants


Cumbria is lucky enough to have pockets of this woodland remaining despite the intense pressure of human occupation over the last few thousand years. These remnants may have been developing since the end of last Ice Age and the older an ecosystem is, the more diverse the species are, from rich organic soils and all the vital decomposers to the bryophytes and lichens. The abundance of lower plants, the mosses and liverworts, are one of the most important features of Atlantic oak woodland. As we all know it does rain on occasions and bryophytes, having no root system to gather water, rely on moisture from the air and soak up and store large amounts of water, creating a humid and productive ecosystem. The oak woods are also full of lichens, some very rare, such as species of the epiphytic Lobaria’s. Lobaria amplissima is found in only seven places in Cumbria and is increasingly threatened because of its sensitivity to nitrogen in the atmosphere.

Much work is being done to protect Atlantic oak woodland and its ecosystem, some smaller remnant woods in the fells are being fenced off and regeneration is beginning, Conifers are being phased out slowly and other species not normally present such as beech and the invasive rhododendron are being removed. The isolation of remnant woodland can affect the vitality and diversity of the woodland and increasingly areas such as the Borrowdale oakwoods are being extended to create movement both for fauna and flora between them.

Don’t let the encroaching winter put you off visiting your local wood, it is a great time to see the faunal life, such as the winter thrushes at Dubbs Moss Nature Reserve, near Cockermouth, or you may catch a glimpse of a red squirrel or otter at Wreay Wood Nature Reserve near Carlisle.