Where is coniferous woodland found in the uk

Coniferous woodlands in Britain are mostly planted woodlands plantations. The vast majority are made up of introduced conifer species. Broadleaf woodland is composed of trees with leaves which are not needle-like. Conifers are the dominant tree form in very cold climates, where snow and freezing conditions are the norm in winter.

The conical shape of the whole tree encourages snow to fall off the branches rather than settling. The trees have typically large broad leaves, such as oak, beech and elm.

These form the canopy layer. As some light can get through, the vegetation is layered. The considerable size of many coniferous plantations provides scope for creating networks of restored and open habitat to increase connectivity and overall area, and many restoration projects are underway. You are here: Home Habitats Woodland Coniferous plantation. Coniferous plantation.

Share facebook twitter email whatsapp. Dark and brooding from a distance, the strong geometric lines and monotonous rows of uniformly sized trees can jar the eye and seem devoid of wildlife. But venture within and open ride edges, firebreaks and clearings can support natural vegetation and animals may be found. Plantations can support species that would otherwise be absent from the landscape. Plantations are usually sited on land which is too poor for agriculture. There are only three species of conifer which are generally recognised to be native to Britain.

These are Scots Pine, Juniper and Yew. The only one occurring in any quantity is Scots Pine. It is planted for timber production, especially in the less hospitable areas for forestry. It is also a pioneer tree species occurring naturally on similar soils to Birch. These two species may often be found intermixed. Some areas of Pine woodland, particularly in Scotland, may be the remnants of older natural forests. However, these have been considerably added to through planting for forestry.

For example, large areas of Scotland are being replanted with Scots Pine of local provenance, in order to recreate the ancient Caledonian Forest. These forests have a rich biodiversity, which includes a variety of different trees, common ones include; oaks, beeches and birches.

The trees are characterised by broad leaves in a variety of shapes. These forests are common to areas which often have distinct warm and cold seasons, creating a moderate average temperature Trees commonly lose their leaves before the cold season, with leaves changing colour before they fall. Following the cold season leaves re-grow and the trees use the warm season for growth, reproduction and energy storage.

Broadleaf forests are now commonly man made, planted and then maintained for supporting a number of different businesses.