Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Parkscotland.forestry.gov.uk/images/corporate/pdf/fcs-nwss-loch-lomond.pdf · 2 | Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Report Native

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Survey Repor t

2014

1 | Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Report

Native Woodland Survey of Scotland

IntroductionNative woodlands are a vital part of Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, providing us with a wide range of

social, environmental and economic benefits.

What is left today is only a small proportion of the native woodland that once covered much of Scotland,

though much has been done since the 1980s to protect and restore the areas that remain. The Scottish

Forestry Strategy (2006) promotes continuing action to expand our native woods, to improve their condition

and to restore native woodland habitats on ancient woodland sites.

To support this work Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) has developed the Native Woodland Survey of

Scotland (NWSS), which is the most extensive habitat survey of its kind ever undertaken in Scotland. The

survey will provide a nationwide map and a comprehensive picture of our native woodland resource for the

first time.

Results will be reported separately for each local authority area and in a national summary. This report presents

summary information from the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs

National Park.

Survey Aims The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland will create a woodland map linked to a spatial dataset which

describes the type, extent, composition and condition of all native woods in Scotland over 0.5ha in area.

Planted woods on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) will also be surveyed, even where they are not mainly

native in species composition, in order to provide information to help maintain or restore their remaining

biodiversity value.

Method The fieldwork for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park was carried out between June 2009 and

February 2012. Using woodland maps that had been prepared from aerial photographs, the surveyors identified,

mapped and assessed all of the native woodland, nearly-native woodland and PAWS over 0.5ha in area.

An outline of the survey method and the features assessed can be found in Annex 2, and more information is

available on the NWSS web pages on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland



What is a native woodland? Woodlands are defined in the survey as areas with at least 20% cover of trees and shrubs, and

native woodlands are woods where the canopy cover is composed mainly of native species

(ie over 50% ).

Nearly-native woodlands are woods where native species make up between 40% and 50% of

the canopy. They could have potential to be converted into native woodlands by altering their

species mix.

Planted woods on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) are derived from the Scottish Ancient

Woodlands Inventory (see SNH, 1997). These woodlands appear to have originated through natural

regeneration sometime before the mid-19th century, but were later converted to planted woods.

Native species are defined broadly as those native to Scotland and to the region.

How will survey results be made available?

Between late winter 2009 and spring 2013, summaries of the key results will be published for each local

authority area in Scotland, in a series of reports on the NWSS web-pages on the Forestry Commission

Scotland website. These will be followed by a national summary report.

After each report is published, complete spatial datasets for each local authority area and associated

training will be made available. This will help those who wish to carry out more complex analyses using web

browsers and/or GIS software.

The spatial datasets are available from the Forestry Commission (see www.forestry.gov.uk/datadownload),

as well as being published by Forestry Commission Scotland on a Forestry Commission Map Viewer. The

Map Viewer facility for users outside the Forestry Commission can be accessed through the NWSS web pages.

User guidance notes are also available on the NWSS web-pages to help users to interpret the data and

consider further uses and analyses. These will be updated in response to experience and users’ feedback.

Forestry Commission Scotland wishes to thank Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) for their help and financial

contribution to the survey, and also to a wide range of other organisations and individuals whose

advice and experience has been invaluable in developing and carrying out the project; including Forest

Research, Haycock & Jay Associates and the RPS Group Plc for carrying out the field survey work.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/datadownload

http://maps.forestry.gov.uk/imf/imf.jsp?site=TTAR&

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-7ybbzy



Results for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National ParkExecutive Summary 1. Native woodland

• TheareaofnativewoodlandinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalParkis12,619ha,whichis25.2%of

thetotalwoodlandareaor6.8%ofthetotallandareaofLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark.

• ThemainpriorityhabitattypesareUplandbirchwoods,WetwoodlandandUplandoakwoods.

• AhighproportionofthenativewoodsinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalParkarehighlysemi-natural

intheirpresentstructureandcomposition,with84%ofthetotalareainthe80-100%semi-naturalcategory.

• Themostcommonnativetreespeciesintheuppercanopyaredownybirchandpedunculateoak.

• Woodlandcanopycoveraverages66%acrossallnativewoods.

• Nativespeciesmakeup93%ofcanopycoveraveragedacrossalltypesofnativewoods;individualtypesrange

from85%nativespeciesinthecanopyofLowlandmixeddeciduouswoodlandto95%inWetwoodland.

• Non-nativetreespeciescomprise7%oftheestablishedregenerationstageand6%ofthecanopyin

mature woodland.

• Estimateddeadwoodvolumeaverages15m3 per ha.

• Invasivenon-nativespeciesintheshrubandfieldlayersoccupy3.5%ofnativewoodlandareas,with

Rhododendron ponticum as the main threat.

• NativewoodsinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalParkhave81%ofthetotalareainthelowesttwo

categories of the herbivore impact assessment.

• 46%ofnativewoodlandisingoodhealthforbiodiversity,basedonanalysisoffourkeyconditionmeasures.

2. Ancient woodland

• Thereare7,302haofwoodlandnowpresentonancientwoodlandsites,ofwhich58%isnative

woodland.Another2%isnearly-nativeincomposition(ie40-50%nativespeciesincanopy).

• Nativeancientwoodlandareasareveryhighlysemi-naturalincurrentcompositionandstructure(92%

oftheareaisinthe80-100%semi-naturalcategory).

• Some25%ofplantedwoodsonancientwoodlandsites(PAWS)arenativewoodlands.Sitkaspruceis

themaincomponent(56%)ofthecanopyofthenon-nativePAWSwoods.

More information is presented in the next 2 sections for specific aspects of area and condition for native

woodlands (part 1) and ancient woodlands (part 2).



Part 1: Native woodland1. Area of Native WoodlandAtotalof12,619haor25.2%ofthewoodlandareainLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark.is

comprisedofnativewoods,withanother327ha(0.7%)ofnearly-nativewoodland.Nativewoodlandscomprise

6.8%ofthelandareaofLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark.

Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright and database right (2011). Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242].Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to civil proceedings.‘Native Woodland’ is from NWSS. ‘Other Woodland’ shown is derived from the new digital woodland map.© Crown Copyright 2011

Figure 1a: Distribution of native and other woodland in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

The boundary of the native pinewoods zone in Scotland (see Fig 1b) showing the estimated range of native pinewoods for

approximately the last 4000 years. The zone is based on the work by McVean and Ratcliffe (1962) and was digitised by

Forest Research. For the purposes of the NWSS a 1km buffer was added (see Fig 1c). For the survey, if Scots pine is present

in any polygon (a mapped survey unit area) which intersects the pine zone it is recorded as native, whilst outside of this zone

Scots pine is regarded as not native.



Figure 1b: The boundary of the

native pinewood zone in Scotland

(plus 1km buffer)

Figure 1c: The boundary of the

native pinewood zone in Loch

Lomond and The Trossachs

National Park (plus 1km buffer)

Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright and database right (2011). Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242].Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to civil proceedings.‘Native Woodland’ is from NWSS. ‘Other Woodland’ shown is derived from the new digital woodland map.© Crown Copyright 2011



Lowland mixed deciduous woodland

Native pinewoods

Upland birchwoods

Upland mixed ashwoods

Upland oakwoods

Wet woodland

Hawtorn scrub

Other type

Table 1: Summary of native woodland area by type

Note 1: The top 6 rows are native woodland types which are priority habitats under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Note2:9%ofmappedunits(polygons)ofnativewoodlandsurveyedcontainedasinglenativewoodlandhabitattype. Theremaining91%consistofmosaicsof2ormorewoodlandtypeswherenoonepatchhasanareaover0.5ha.

Note 3: This type is sometimes referred to as Lowland mixed broadleaved woodland.

Note 4: “Other” native woodland includes areas that were not attributable to a particular native woodland type.

Figure 2: Native woodland types in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Native Woodland Type1, 2 Area (ha) %

Lowland mixed deciduous woodland 3 515 4

Native Pinewoods 1,089 9

Upland birchwoods 3,992 32

Upland mixed ashwoods 406 3

Upland oakwoods 2,242 18

Wet woodland 3,450 27

Blackthorn scrub 1 <0.1

Hawthorn scrub 18 <1

Juniper scrub 3 <0.1

Other type 4 903 7

Total 12,619 100



2. Degree of Semi-naturalness of Native Woodland An assessment of the composition and structure of each native woodland area indicated whether they appeared

to be semi-natural or planted, taking account of signs of planting like straight rows or plough furrows. Results are

summarisedin20%classes(ie0-20%semi-natural,20-40%semi-naturaletc)inFigure3.

Figure 3: Semi-naturalness of native woodland

A high value for semi-naturalness suggests a high nature conservation value, including a likely past history of

naturalregeneration.InLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark84%ofthetotalareaisinthe80-100%

semi-natural category.

Figure 4: Percentage of each native woodland type with 80-100% semi-naturalness

Note 5: Areas are assigned to type according to the dominant type in each native woodland unit. Only woodland types with >30ha in the whole report area are shown.

% o

f tot

al a

rea

0

20

40

60

80

100

8487

39

88

9590

96

48

Other type

Wet woodland

Upland oakwoods

Upland mixed

ashwoods

Upland birchwoods

Native pinewoods

Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

All native woodland

80-100

60-80

40-60

20-40

0-20



3. Tree Species Composition Tree species composition was assessed for the upper canopy layer, which consists of the veteran, mature

and pole immature layers. These are combined to identify the species proportions in the woodland. In the

survey Scots pine is recognised as a native species only within the natural range of native pinewoods (the

“Nativepinewoodzone”).Forfurtherdetailssee“NWSSSurveyPlan,ProcessandProcedures,P7.

Downy birch and pedunculate oak are the most common native species in the upper canopy layers of the

nativewoodsinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark(34%and16%respectively).

Figure 5: Species composition of the upper canopy layers of All native woodland

*native species

Figures 6-8 show the species composition of upper canopy layers for the three most extensive native

woodland priority habitats in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (from Table 1). These analyses

are based on classifying each native woodland unit according to the main priority woodland type present.

Figure 6: Species composition of the upper canopy layers of Upland birchwoods

*native species

downy birch* 58%

silver birch* 10%

Scots pine* 2%

other species: native 25%

other species: non-native 5%

downy birch* 34%

pedunculate oak* 16%

common alder* 10%

intermediate oak* 6%

silver birch* 5%

Scots pine*5%





downy birch* 43%

common alder* 24%

pedunculate oak* 7%

Scots pine*1%



Figure 7: Species composition of the upper canopy layers of Wet woodland

*native species

Figure 8: Species composition of the upper canopy layers of Upland oakwoods

*native species

pedunculate oak* 39%

intermediate oak 16%

downy birch* 12%

sessile oak* 8%

Scots pine* 1%





4. Total Canopy CoverThis measure is a weighted mean estimate of total canopy cover of all species combined. In each native

woodland unit the surveyor assessed the uppermost layer present at any part of the wood. This included areas

of established regeneration or shrub layer if there were no larger trees above them.

Figure 9: Mean total canopy cover for native woodland types (total percentage cover for all species combined)

Note 6: Areas are assigned to types according to the proportions of all types present in each native woodland unit. Only woodland types with >30ha in the whole report area are shown.

Mea

n %

can

opy

cove

r

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

6873

6165

75 75

67 65

Other type

Wet woodland

Upland oakwoods

Upland mixed

ashwoods

Upland birchwoods

Native pinewoods

Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

All native woodland



5. Percentage of Native Species in the CanopyThis measure is a weighted mean estimate of the share of the total canopy cover which is made up of native

trees or shrubs. As for section 4, in each native woodland unit the surveyor assessed the uppermost layer

present at any part of the wood. This included areas of established regeneration or shrub layer if there were

no larger trees above them.

Figure 10: Mean % of native species in the canopy for native woodland types

Note7: Areasareassignedtotypesaccordingtotheproportionsofalltypespresentineachnativewoodlandunit.Onlywoodlandtypes with >30ha in the whole report area are shown.

Mea

n %

nat

ive

spec

ies

0

20

40

60

80

100

93

85

93 9490

93 95

88

Other type

Wet woodland

Upland oakwoods

Upland mixed

ashwoods

Upland birchwoods

Native pinewoods

Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

All native woodland



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Visible regeneration

Established regeneration

Pole immature

Mature

Cover of each structural stage (expressed as a % of total canopy cover)

Non-native speciesNative species

6. Structural Diversity For native woodlands as a whole, and for each

woodland type with at least 30ha present across the

whole report area, the weighted mean cover of each

structural stage is shown

(Figs 11-18), expressed as a percentage of the total

canopy cover. Because structural stages or layers can

overlap, e.g. regeneration and shrub layers may occur

beneath mature trees (See diagram), the combined

coverofstructuralstagesmayexceed100%ofthetotal

canopy cover, which is assessed as in section 4 above.

The proportions of native and non native species in the main structural stages are also shown, i.e. where the

structuralstage(veteran,matureetc)occupiesatleast1%ofthetotalareaofthatwoodlandtype.Furtherdatais

given in Annex 1.

Eachmappingunit(polygon)wasallocatedtoaprioritywoodlandtypebasedonthedominanttypepresent.

Figure 11: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in All native woodland



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Pole immature

Mature



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Pole immature

Mature



Figure 12: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

Figure 13: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Native pinewoods



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Pole immature

Mature



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Shrub

Pole immature

Mature



Figure 14: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland birchwoods

Figure 15: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland mixed ashwoods



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Pole immature

Mature



Figure 16: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland oakwoods

Figure 17: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Wet woodland

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Shrub

Pole immature

Mature





Figure 18: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Other type

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70



Pole immature

Mature




Native Woodland Survey of Scotland m

3 /ha

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

15

21

13

10

34

28

12

3 1

13

Other type

Hawthorn scrub

Blackthorn scrub

Wet woodland

Upland oakwoods

Upland mixed

ashwoods

Upland birchwoods

Native pinewoods

Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

All native woodland

7. DeadwoodDeadwood volumes were estimated from one or more plots in each native woodland unit surveyed. In units

with two or more woodland types, volume estimates were assigned to priority woodland types in proportion

to the area of each. The mean deadwood volume is 15m³/ha.

Figure 19: Estimates of volumes of deadwood in native woodland

Note 8: Only woodland types with >30ha in the report area are shown.



rhododendron ponticum

other herbaceous invasive exotics

Japanese knotweed

Himalayan balsam

giant hogweed

8. Invasive Non-native SpeciesThe presence and cover of invasive non-native plant species in the shrub and field layers was assessed in each

native woodland area surveyed. Five well-known invasive species were assessed individually.

Theareaofwoodlandcurrentlyaffectedbyinvasivenon-nativespeciesis447.6ha.Rhododendron ponticum is

by far the biggest threat and is found in all woodland types. For more information see Annex 1.

Table 2: Extent of recorded invasive non-native shrub and field layer species in All native woods

† Figures rounded to one decimal place.

Figure 20: Proportions of recorded invasive non-native shrub and field layer species in All native woods

Species Area of invasives (ha)

Percentage of Native Woodland Area†

Rhododendron ponticum 390.6 3.1

Other herbaceous invasive exotics 43.7 0.4

Japanese knotweed 5.5 <0.1

Himalayan balsam 5.1 <0.1

Giant hogweed 2.3 <0.1

Snowberry 0.4 <0.1

Total 447.6 3.5



4

3

2

1

9. Herbivore Impact Assessment for Native WoodsA herbivore impact assessment was made in each native woodland unit. This used a revised decision tree and a

4-point scale (A to D), which took into account the presence and extent of grazing, browsing and other impacts.

NativewoodsinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalParkhave81%oftheareawithinthelowesttwo

categories (See Fig 21)

Figure 21: Herbivore impact in All native woods

10. Native Woodland Condition IndicatorThe indicator - developed for use across the whole report area – describes the average health or condition

of native woods for biodiversity. It is based on assessment of four key condition attributes. The attributes and

theirassociateddesiredrangeare:canopycover(50-90%),nativespeciesas%ofcanopycover(90%orover),

herbivoreimpactvalue(AorB),andinvasivenon-nativespeciescover(notmorethan10%andlessthanthree

invasive species present).

Theindicatorvaluessuggestthat46%ofallnativewoodlandinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark

is in good overall health for biodiversity with an indicator value of 4 (i.e. all condition attributes are in the desired

range),withafurther40%havinganindicatorvalueof3(seeFig22).FurtherdetailsoftheIndicatoranditsuse

are in NWSS User Guidance Notes on the NWSS web pages.

Figure 22: Proportions of Native Woodland Condition Indicator values (all native woods combined)

Note 9: The chart shows proportion of native woodland areas that scored 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 for condition attributes i.e. the number of condition attributes which are in the desired range.

Category A (low)

Category B (medium)

Category C (high)

Category D (very high)



Part 2: Ancient woodlandsTable 3: Current status of woodlands that were recorded as ancient woodlands in the Scottish Ancient

Woodlands Inventory - SAWI (SNH 1997).

Note 10: Areas recorded as planted ancient woods on the SAWI- fully surveyed under NWSS.

Note11: Areasassessedasunder40%nativespeciesinNWSS.Broadleavedspeciesmakeupatleast20%ofcoverfromthedigital woodland map. Not surveyed in detail.

Note12:Areasassessedasunder40%nativespeciesinNWSS.Coniferspeciesmakeupgreaterthan80%ofcoverfromthedigital woodland map. Not surveyed in detail.

Note 13: The SAWI area and current (NWSS) area of ancient woodland may be different for a number of reasons, including mapping errors or inaccuracies in the SAWI estimates and real changes in woodland area which have occurred since the 1980’s. Some of this “Other land” may also be recorded as felled, under ground preparation, very young trees etc.

Further analysis, together with possible verification on the ground, will be needed to understand the exact

nature of the changes described in Note 13 for Table 3 and to assess how much, if any, actual loss of ancient

woodland there has been.

Current status Area (ha) % of Total Current Area

Native woodland 4,226 58

Nearly–native woodland 113 2

Otherwoodland(under40%nativespecies) 3,060 40

- Areas surveyed as plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) 10

- Broadleaved or mixed woods11

- Conifer woods12

2,66497

299

Total area of ancient woodland in NWSS 7,399 100

Other land 131,169 -

Area of ancient woods in SAWI 13

8,568 -



Table 4: Current composition of ancient woodlands that were recorded on the Scottish Ancient

Woodlands Inventory (SAWI)

Table 4.1: Areas classed as Ancient and semi-natural woods in SAWI

† SurveyedasPAWS:areaunder40%nativespecies.

Table 4.2: Areas classed as Planted woods on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) in SAWI.

† SurveyedasPAWS:areaunder40%nativespecies.

SAWI CategoryCurrent State

%NWSS Type NWSS (ha)

Ancient Semi-natural

4,742ha

Native 3,276 69

Nearly-native 56 1

Non-native† 61 1

Broadleaved/mixed, not native

94 2

Conifer, not native 293 7

Other land 962 20

Total 4,742 100

SAWI CategoryCurrent State

%NWSS Type NWSS (ha)

PAWS

3,826 ha

Native 950 25

Nearly-native 57 1

Non-native† 2,603 68

Broadleaved/mixed, not native

3 <1

Conifer, not native 6 <1

Other land 207 6

Total 3,826 100



80-100

60-80

40-60

20-40

0-20

Figure 23: Percentage semi-naturalness of ancient woodland surveyed as native woods in NWSS

Figure 24: Species composition of PAWS that are mainly non-native

*native species

Note 14: Composition shares are based on all structural layers combined.

Sitka spruce 56%

Norway spruce 10%

hybrid larch 6%

western hemlock 6%

Japanese larch 5%

Scots pine* 1%





% Semi-natural Area (ha) %

0-20 1,186 9

20-40 254 2

40-60 227 2

60-80 380 3

80-100 10,573 84

Total 12,619 100

Annex 1Additional detailed information

Table 5: Proportion and area of semi-naturalness classes in native woodland (See Fig 3)

Table 6.1: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in All native woodland (see Fig 11)

Note 15: In tables 6.1 - 6.8 it is important to be aware that the canopies may overlap or be fragmented.

Note16:Onlystructuralstages(veteran,matureetc)occupyingatleast1%ofthetotalareaofthatwoodlandtypeareshown.

Table 6.2: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Lowland mixed deciduous

woodland (see Fig 12)

Structural stage% of total canopy

cover% of native species

in each stage% of non-native

species in each stage

Mature 43 94 6

Pole immature 30 93 7

Establishedregeneration 21 93 7

Visible regeneration 6 95 5





Mature 51 83 17






Table 6.3: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Native pinewoods (see Fig 13)

Table 6.4: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland birchwoods (see Fig 14)

Table 6.5: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland mixed ashwoods

(see Fig 15)





Mature 36 95 5


Shrub 1 95 5







Mature 46 90 10








Mature 17 88 12






Table 6.6: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Upland oakwoods (see Fig 16)

Table 6.7: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Wet woodland (see Fig 17)

Table 6.8: Proportions and composition of the main structural stages present in Other type (see Fig 18)





Mature 64 94 6








Mature 22 81 19








Mature 41 96 4


Shrub 1 97 3





Table 7.1: Extent of invasive species presence in native woodland polygons

Note17:Thereareatotalof3,507nativewoodlandpolygonsinLochLomondandTheTrossachsNationalPark.

InTables7.2to7.8theareaandpercentageofthemainrecordedinvasivespeciesintheprioritywoodland

types is given where there is a combined area of over 1.0ha of all invasives present in that woodland type.

Individualinvasivespeciesareonlynotedherewheretheycompriseatleast1%oftheareaofinvasivesinthat

woodland type.

Table 7.2: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Lowland mixed

deciduous woodland

Species Area of invasives (ha)% of total area of invasives in this woodland type

Rhododendron ponticum 15.2 67

Other herbaceous invasive exotics 3.9 17

Giant hogweed 2.3 10

Japanese knotweed 0.8 4

Himalayan balsam 0.3 1

Snowberry 0.2 1

Total 22.7 100

xPriority Woodland Type

Number of native polygons with

invasives recorded

% of native woodland polygons

All native woodland 1,322 38

Native pinewoods 113 3

Lowland mixed deciduous woodland 93 3

Upland birchwoods 460 13

Upland mixed ashwoods 22 1

Upland oakwoods 289 8

Wet woodland 293 8

Other type 52 1



Table 7.3: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Native pinewoods

Table 7.4: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Upland birchwoods

Table 7.5: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Upland mixed ashwoods




Total 30.5 100





Total 5.5 100






Giant hogweed 0.1 <0.1

Total 126.9 100



Table 7.6: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Upland oakwoods

Table 7.7: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Wet woodland

Table 7.8: Area and percentage of the main recorded invasive species in Other type





Himalayan balsam 0.2 <1

Snowberry 0.2 <1

Total 71.3 100




Japanese knotweed 0.1 <1

Total 37.0 100





Japanese knotweed 0.3 <1

Total 153.7 100



Table 8.1: Herbivore impact in All native woodland (see Fig 21)

Table 8.2: Herbivore impact in Lowland mixed deciduous woodland

Table 8.3: Herbivore impact in Native pinewoods

Table 8.4: Herbivore impact in Upland birchwoods

Herbivore impact categoryNumber of polygons

Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 94 398 10 7

B 656 4,185 67 74

C 140 621 14 11

D 85 432 9 8


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 8 15 4 3

B 148 320 74 71

C 24 61 12 13

D 21 55 10 12


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 80 221 21 19

B 230 719 61 62

C 49 181 13 16

D 15 33 4 3


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 88 260 7 6

B 744 3,019 60 68

C 192 537 15 12

D 216 638 17 14



Table 8.5: Herbivore impact in Upland mixed ashwoods

Table 8.6: Herbivore impact in Upland oakwoods

Table 8.7: Herbivore impact in Wet woodland

Table 8.8: Herbivore impact in Hawthorn scrub

XHerbivore impact category

Number of polygons

Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 3 5 4 2

B 41 120 58 47

C 14 69 20 27

D 13 59 18 23


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 40 135 8 5

B 284 1,562 54 56

C 121 729 23 26

D 83 363 16 13


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 71 238 8 8

B 567 1,722 61 60

C 145 445 16 16

D 145 450 16 16


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

B 2 1 40 13

D 3 9 60 87



Table 8.9: Herbivore impact in Other type

Table 9: Area and percentage of native woodland with each condition score (see Fig 22)

Condition Area (ha) % of area

0 0 0

1 267 2

2 1,456 12

3 5,093 40

4 5,803 46

Total 12,619 100


Area (ha)% of

polygons% of area

A 38 237 24 36

B 74 267 46 41

C 33 114 21 17

D 15 35 9 5



Annex 2Outline of the Survey methodThis annex outlines the survey approach. More information on the methods and guidance on the interpretation

of the results can be found on the NWSS webpages on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.

1. Areas were selected for survey using digital woodland maps, which were prepared from aerial photographs

taken within the previous five years. The digital maps identified woodland types that could contain native

woodland areas, as well as all planted woods on ancient woodland sites (PAWS).

2. When the surveyors visited these areas they identified and surveyed all native woodland, nearly-native

woods and PAWS sites over 0.5ha. For each area of native woodland surveyors recorded the priority

habitat type(s) and National Vegetation Classification type(s) (NVC) (Rodwell,1991) present.

3. They also collected a wide range of other information about the surveyed areas, including:

• woodlandcompositionandstructure(egwhetherplantedorsemi-natural,thecoverandstockingdensity

ofalltreeandshrubspeciesineachstructuralstage,informationonveterantrees);

• presenceandextentofherbivoreimpacts;

• presenceandcoveroffiveinvasivenon-nativeshrubandfieldlayerspecies;

• presenceandsizeofdeadwood;

• arangeofotherfeatureswhererelevante.g.erosion,builtdevelopment,dumping,pestsanddiseases,

damagebyidentifiedspeciesofanimalegdeer/sheep/rabbit;recreationalandothermanagementimpacts.

4. Customised quality assurance systems were developed and implemented for mapping, field survey and

data recording components of the work. The whole project has been managed by a project manager

working to a project board.

ReferencesAnnual Abstract of Statistics No. 145 (2009). Office of National Statistics.

McVean, D.N. and Ratcliffe, D.A. (1962). Plant Communities of the Scottish Highlands. HMSO, London.

Rodwell J.S. (ed) 1991. British plant communities. Volume 1 Woodlands and Scrub, Cambridge University Press.

ScottishNaturalHeritage(1997).The inventory of ancient and long established woodland sites and the inventory

of semi natural woodlands (provisional). SNH Information and Advisory Note series. [NB: The inventory was first

publishedin1987,andiswidelyreferredtoastheScottishAncientWoodlandsInventory].

GlossaryA glossary of terms can be found on the NWSS web pages.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-7yskxy

Survey Repor t

Published by - Forestry Commission Scotland - November 2013© Crown Copyright 2013

Produced by Design and Interpretative Services, Forestry Commission Scotland, Edinburgh

NWSS/Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park - D&IS - PDF - NOVEMBER 2013

ContactForestry Commission ScotlandNational OfficeSilvan House231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

Tel: 0131 334 0303Fax: 0131 314 6152E-mail: [email protected]: www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

Forestry Commission Scotland serves as part of theScottish Government’s Environment and ForestryDirectorate and is responsible to Scottish Ministers.

If you need this publication in an alternative format, for example,in large print or in another language, please contact:

The Diversity TeamForestry CommissionSilvan House231 Corstorphine RoadEdinburghEH12 7AT

Tel: 0131 314 6575E-mail: [email protected]

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Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Parkscotland.forestry.gov.uk/images/corporate/pdf/fcs-nwss-loch-lomond.pdf · 2 | Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Report Native