Elenydd trip report

An afternoon trip to mid Wales and the Elenydd. It was evident during the journey that extensive cloud cover determined that a walk in the Oak woods would be more productive than up on the hills. I was also curious to see how an area of woodland designated as Special Area of Conservation was being managed.

A wander along a stream led to a waterfall, where the combination of inclined cleavage, bedding planes and joints in the bedrock, contributed to a staircase of waterfalls. I thought this would have some potential later in the year with autumnal foliage and higher water flows.

It was heartening to see that the oak woods were naturally regenerating with oak, birch, holly and rowan trees in the form of saplings and seedlings. No plastic tubes were evident, so reduced levels of herbivore grazing were most likely the trigger for regeneration.

The woodland management also extended to leaving standing and fallen deadwood, increasing the biodiversity and rebalancing the woodlands naturalness. The trip was a good one, some stuff to ponder and to a laymans eyes the woodland was recovering.