Trees are essential to life on earth – there are many species of trees around the world that have adapted to live in the particular habitats that they thrive in, from the colder regions to the hotter ones and all those in between.
Trees are something that we can all encourage and enjoy – having trees in the garden can help to attract wildlife and provide us a haven of shade in the summer! Many people also like to keep garden trees that provide fruits. When you have a tree in your garden, it is a good idea to get a professional like this tree surgeon in Cheltenham to check it every now and then to ensure it is healthy and it isn’t likely to cause any damage or injury.
Of course, beyond the garden, the rainforests are one of the most well-known places that we associate with trees – known as the lungs of the world, the rainforests are an essential part of life for the whole planet.
When we think about rainforests, we tend to imagine the forests in the countries around the equator – tropical rainforests like the amazon for example – however, the UK is also home to many rainforests – known as temperate rainforests.
These are also important habitats in their own right – these Celtic rainforests thrive in the mild and damp conditions that are plentiful in the UK, in the West of the country. Unfortunately, despite being important and of course beautiful, they are very rare. This makes the protection of them more important than ever – these areas, covering less than 1% of land in the UK support many species of plants and animals, store carbon, purify air – and show us more about what the land looked like in the UK centuries ago, when these forests covered large area of the country.
The temperate rainforests in the UK support an enormous range of life – they are essential ecosystems, where you will find a wide range of different mosses and lichens, as well as an abundance of fungi. Many of these delicate forms of life can take many years to establish themselves and they are an important indicator of the health of the forest.
These damp and sheltered conditions that provide the perfect home for plant life also means that there are many animals who call these forests home. The many species of native trees provide perfect places for many birds to nest as well as food for invertebrates and birds alike.
Having these rainforests is very important – they make the whole environment healthier – trees absorb carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen, and the woodlands absorb the rainfall, reducing things like flood risks and soil erosion.
In addition to the fact that they are an essential part of the ecosystem, these rainforests also provide place for people to go and relax – a woodland walk through these places benefits the mind and the body, helping to enjoy a connection with the natural world.
If you want to go and enjoy one of these very special places yourself, here are some of the places you can go around the UK to do this…
Taynish Nature Reserve
One of the oldest surviving oak woodlands in the UK this ancient landscape is a stunning place to visit. On the west coast of Scotland next to Loch Sween, trees have called this place home for thousands of years, and the humid coastal landscape is perfectly suited for many species of moss and lichen.
As well as the beautiful ancient rainforest, this place is particularly special as there are many habitats. From the shorelines to the salt marshes and the grasslands, this is a home to a huge variety of species, many of which are finding life more difficult with habitat destruction elsewhere.
Here you will find roe deer, otters and in the summer look for the rare marsh fritillary butterfly on the grasslands.
Coed Felenrhyd and Llennyrch
In beautiful Snowdonia near the vale of Ffestiniog you will find this ancient woodland that grows around the River Prysor as it cuts through the landscape, creating the Llennyrch Ravine, a steep gorge in the woodlands.
This unique terrain and the high humidity creates the perfect environment for this rainforest to flourish and thrive – wood warblers, redstarts and spotted flycatchers are birds that all call this place home, and the lesser horseshoe bats, a rare breed of bat also lives here.
Wistmans Wood
One of the most well-known ancient woodlands in Devon and a place that has plenty of mystery and legend surrounding it. It is easy to see why this place conjures up otherworldly images, with the twisted oak trees making it seem like its from a fairy tale.
The climate here is much harsher – being on the edge of Dartmoor, renowned for its unforgiving climate as well as the poorer acid soil this has what has given the trees their distinctive shape. However, it is both cool and damp, making it the perfect place for a rainforest to thrive even when taking into account the challenges of this area, and numerous types of fungi can be found here, as well as mosses and birds.
Despite the importance of these special places, they are always under threat – once something that covered vast swathes of Britain, historically there have been large areas that were cleared for farming and building.
Many of the lichens that live in these areas can be damaged by changes to the environment like pollution in the air and therefore these special places have become few and far between rather than a network spanning the length of the country as they should be.
Protecting what is left of these woodlands is crucial – these places take many centuries to become what they are, and they cannot simply be replaced by planting more trees. Support the conservation efforts of organisations like the woodland trust, make sure that you follow local guidelines when walking dogs in these areas so that wildlife isn’t damaged and don’t take anything from the woodlands when you visit apart from great memories.
