Bannau Brycheiniog Local Nature Partnership

We have long wanted to improve access to a very special, semi-ancient wet woodland, which is linked to our main site by a short track.  It is away from any road noise and offers a unique experience of immersion and stillness. It is home to alder, birch and willow with a hazel understorey and some chestnut too. It holds a significant amount of water which feeds an old mill stream but it has become overgrown with rhododendron storm-damanged trees in recent years. With careful work, we set out to improve the diversity of species and improve access for local community groups by building a modest boardwalk through the wood and creating spaces for educational and therapeutic work to take place.  We worked with a number of graduates from the Black Mountains College coppicing course, some of whom have completed our own Making Well course and with local school groups including Coleg Sir Gâr and Homely Learning.

The Dingle is a small, wooded stream valley section in a rural area overlooking the Usk valley within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The Dingle forms part of the wider land holding which is restoring the watercourse immediately downstream of the Dingle to the joining of this tributary with the River Usk, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The Dingle is mapped on the Ancient Woodland Inventory as Ancient Semi Natural Woodland (ASNW). As identified through various ecology surveys by Abbey Sanders Ecology, the wider site supports badgers, hedgehogs and nesting birds including rare woodland specialists and RSPB Red List species of conservation concern, lesser spotted woodpecker and spotted flycatcher. A low population of reptiles (slow-worm and grass snake) have also been identified.

The Fathom Trust is working with groups of young people to restore and enhance the woodland through removal of non-native rhododendron. This forms part of a wider initiative to both enhance the Dingle for biodiversity and to engage young people in engagement with nature.  Following a site walkover survey on 14th January 2025, an ecological baseline survey was completed, against which improvements to the site can be measured over time and to provide advice on working methods and enhancements to the woodland.

The woodland has been relatively unmanaged in recent years, with various standing, fallen and hanging deadwood, although a small stand of immature Chestnut Castania sativa trees are planted on the west stream bank close to the site entrance. The stream meanders through the woodland following its natural course. Historically Rhododendron was introduced (likely in the Victorian era) and has spread becoming prolific with some dense stands, mostly on the east bank of the stream. A lesser amount of other non-native understorey shrubs were also noted.  The canopy has some larger mature trees and more sparse saplings, the recruitment of which to the woodland canopy has been impeded by the Rhododendron.

The tree canopy is typical of a native wet woodland copse in this region with Alder Alnus glutinosa, Birch Betula species, Willow Salix species, occasional Beech Fagus sylvatica, Ash Fraxinus excelsior with some signs of ash die back disease, and understorey species including Holly Ilex aquifolium and Hazel Corylus avellana. Ground flora include native Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna, Wood Avens Geum urbanum, Herb Robert Geranium robertianum, Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris, Ivy Hedera helix, Bramble Rubus fruiticosa ag. and in stream Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium. Some of the flora are ancient woodland indicator plants.

Fungi including Scarlet Elf Cup Sarcoscypha austriaca, King Alfred’s Cakes Daldinia concentrica and Birch Polypore Fomitopsis betulina are present together with mosses, liverworts and ferns including Polypody Polypodium vulgare, Hard Fern Blechnum spicant, Hart’s-tongue Fern Asplenium scolopendrium and Broad Buckler Fern, Dryoptiris dilata.

Birds noted during the survey visit were Raven Corvus corax, Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus, Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tit Parus major with the remains of Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis as a likely Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus kill and Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus a possible Goshawk kill Accipiter gentilis within the Dingle woodland. The woodland is likely to support a range of mammals with a small mustelid footprint found within the site possibly being that of a small Badger Meles meles, Otter Lutra lutra are known to occur within the wider estate and are likely to occasionally visit the site. There are some trees with features such as splits and cracks that could support roosting bats, these species are highly likely to forage and commute through the site.

Credit to Chartered Ecologist Abbey Sanders CEcol CEnv MCIEEM for above text and images below

During January and February, we welcomed 54 children and 11 volunteers to the dingle to help participate in the restoration. The woodland areas across the site have been enhanced through removal of non-native species and opening up the canopy to allow increased natural regeneration. To optimise the benefit of this and to avoid significant negative ecological impacts and legal offences and to provide suitable protection, mitigation and enhancement to ancient woodland, we followed the following ecological protection and mitigation strategy:

At the start of our clearance work, we made clear to all group activity leaders the appropriate methods of work and sensitive ecology of the site. We did not store machinery, equipment or materials within 10m of the watercourse. We did not undertake any clearance of or works to any vegetation within the bird nesting season to ensure no protected species of wildlife including nesting birds, hedgehogs or Badgers or their setts are present. All works were carried out by hand tool where possible or hand operated power tools. We retained some felled wood on site as dead wood and habitat piles, placing some of these in more secluded areas to encourage animals such as Otter to use these for shelter.  We cleared non-native shrubs in a phased, directional manner so that wildlife had a chance to move away from the works rather than risk it becoming isolated and surrounded by active works areas. Regeneration of woodland through natural self seeding and growth is encouraged by the opening up of shrub layer.

The woodland areas across the site have been enhanced through removal of non-native species and opening up the canopy to allow increased natural regeneration. Old metalwork and debris has been retrieved from the site making it safe.  This work has increased space for bat roosting and wild flower regeneration and has contributed to a stronger network of leaky dams improving water quality and mitigating flood risk.  We have also gathered piles of organic material serving as bug hotels offering increased shade and shelter for insects. In general, the space is now lighter, safer and more accessible and now suitable for future educational and therapeutic visits.

We hope now that these alder, willow and birch woods will improve the habitat for the sallow Guest Beetle, Jumping Weevil and 10-spotted Pot Beetle.  In addition, we will be looking to identify numbers of Siskins, Whitethroats and Kingfishers, Water Vole, Lesser horsehoe bat and Otters. We also hope that marsh plants such as Marsh Valerian and Marsh Marigold, Yellow Flag, Bittersweet Nightshade, and wild Redcurrant and Blackcurrant bushes will be recorded.

With thanks to Maria Golightly, coordinating officer of the Local Nature Partnership and Barbara Anglezarke and all the team at the BBNPA for their support.