Biodiversity Plan

Landmark Forest Adventure Park Biodiversity Plan 2023

• Site name: Landmark Forest Heritage Park 
• Location: Carrbridge
• Grid reference: NH 90887, OS 1:50,000 Sheet No. 36
• Area: 12.14 hectares (30 acres)
• Designations: Ancient Semi Natural Woodland.

Ownership

Landmark Forest Adventure Park is owned and operated by Visitor Centres Ltd. The company portfolio also comprises two other visitor attractions: Camera Obscura, Edinburgh, Inverary Jail and a publishing house, Landmark Press. 

Description

The park is 30 acres of which 55% is woodland, a remnant of the Ancient Scots Pine Forest. This wood at Landmark is marked on maps around 1700, by which time most of the surrounding and indeed countrywide woodland had disappeared.  

One of the largest areas of the park comprises an accessible woodland walk/nature trail both at low level and higher level via scenic treetop trail. The trail has exhibition stations and panels interpretating the natural history and social history of the pinewood, with the conclusion that everyone has a role to play in heritage conservation. In addition to the boardwalk trails, there are sculptured seats, other woodland walks and nearby links with core paths.   Many other attractions are themed around the landscape and its wildlife. The trees also provide useful anchors for three high ropes courses, while climbing to the top of a unique forest viewing tower takes you above the forest canopy with unrivalled views over the local landscape and the Cairngorm Mountains. There is also a large butterfly house, with a full zoo licence and its own biodiversity and conservation aims. 

Landmark’s woodland is of particular, local importance for landscape, amenity and recreation purposes and is well used by the public.  Despite its small size, the wood is big on biodiversity value.

The woodland comprises 98% Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), plus Birch, Rowan and a few Norway Spruce in damp areas.  Landmark is situated on the southern outskirts of the village of Carrbridge in the Cairngorms National Park. The woodland is accessible via the public entrance to Landmark Park.  Landmark woodland is a neighbour to other woodland owned by the Woodland Trust, Highland Council, and other Seafield Strathspey estate. The site ranges from 250m – 280m above sea level and, though undulating, is broadly flat in aspect.

Carbon sequestration

Scots pine typically live over a long period of time, typically 100 to 300 years or so although they can live considerably longer in favourable conditions. An age-related trend of net primary production (NPP) demonstrates effective Carbon accumulation in the young and middle-aged stands and their levelling out thereafter. The understorey vegetation contributes 8–46% to total NPP, but without a clear age-related trend.  The post-harvest Carbon compensation point is reached at the age of 7 years and Carbon payback occurs at a stand age of 11–12 years. Stands act as Carbon accumulating ecosystems and average annual Carbon accumulation is around 2.5 t Carbon/ha/year, except for the youngest stand acts as a Carbon source. In the oldest stand Carbon budget is almost balanced, with a modest annual accumulation of 0.12 t Carbon/ ha/year. Thus Landmark’s wood Carbon sequestration, with a mix of ages of trees, can be calculated as 55% of 12.14 ha * 2.5t Carbon = 16.69T Carbon p.a.

Click here for Source of Carbon sequestration data

Physical Description

The geology of the site is comprised of glacial drifts of partially sorted gravels derived from acid granites and schists of the Moine series. This gives rise to shallow acid peats, peaty podzols and peaty gleys. There are some wet flushes one of which feeds one small, slow-flowing, permanent stream with flat, boggy stream margins. There are two lochans on this stream course with good pond ecosystems including various dragonfly. The MLURI climate map identifies the area as ‘cool, rather wet, lowland foothills and uplands, moderately exposed, with rather severe winters. The area occasionally suffers very low temperatures with local record minus 26 degrees C having been experienced in many winters over the last forty years.

Fauna

Landmark is home to a number of UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. The rare and endangered species who make their home in the Park include the Scottish crossbill, pine marten, red squirrel, crested tit along with many more common woodland birds such as great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest and Mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) which live year round on Landmark’s ponds.

The wood is also of importance for containing Scottish wood ant (Formica aquilonia) nests.

Trees, plants, and fungi

The woodland is an impressive mini mosaic of a range of habitats typical of the Strathspey pinewoods that have developed in the last 7,000 years following the last ice age. Scots pine and birch largely dominate the canopy today. Aspen would once have been far more common but is now a rarer tree species in the wood due to heavy browsing over the last 200 years or so. 

Landmark’s habitat also includes some important flowering plants e.g. creeping lady’s-tresses (Goodyera repens), and lesser twayblade a beautiful and threatened wild orchid. These species are key indicators of an ancient pinewood and provide evidence for the long period of time that healthy woodland has been present.  There is also bell heather, ling heather and cross-leaved heath, as well as cowberry and blaeberry (bilberry). 

Landmark also holds a section of bog woodland, a European priority for conservation. This is an excellent habitat for dragonflies, spiders, amphibians and mosses. 

Butterfly House

This has an educational remit, informing visitors about the lifecycle of butterflies and moths. The pupa support conservation projects in Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Farmers in national parks under severe pressure from logging are paid for pupa, so instead of felling trees, they now protect the habitat where the butterflies breed. There is also a positive social impact with sufficient income earned to support higher life standards including education. 

Management

Landmark’s wood is managed to maintain its intrinsic key features of value and to reflect those of the surrounding landscape while being managed to make it accessible, welcoming and safe. The heritage and cultural value of the site is taken into account in the management of it and, in particular, the ancient trees are retained for as long as possible. Otherwise, the woodland is largely left to its own devices. Where one tree falls, a minimum of 20 saplings will germinate. The impact of the rest of the visitor attraction offering on the woodland environment is kept as low as possible – the wood itself is Landmark’s greatest asset and the reason for Landmark’s location. The reason that the woodland was not clear-felled like much of the neighbouring woodland is entirely due to the ownership and the leisure use that it fulfils.

A tree specialist inspects the woodland every three months. Where necessary, dead branches are moved or removed after storms.  Dead trees are wherever possible left where they fall to enhance biodiversity. High stumps are retained for the same reason. 

Existing semi-natural open-ground and freshwater habitats are restored and maintained wherever their management can be sustained and new open ground habitats created where appropriate

Any activities undertaken conform to sustainable forest management principles, are appropriate for the site and are balanced with Landmark’s objectives of enhancing the biodiversity and recreational value of the woods and the wider landscapes while providing an exceptional, world-class visitor experience for many thousands of visitors each year.

Bibliography:

Some of the contents above comes from the following sources: 

• The Carrbridge website:   https://www.carrbridge.com/
• The neighbouring woodland managed by the Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/47304/4911-glencharnoch-wood.pdf