|
| *****SWAAG_ID***** | 609 |
| Date Entered | 20/09/2012 |
| Updated on | 21/09/2012 |
| Recorded by | Tim Laurie |
| Category | Tree Site Record |
| Record Type | Botanical HER |
| SWAAG Site Name | |
| Site Type | |
| Site Name | |
| Site Description | |
| Site Access | Public Footpath |
| Record Date | 19/09/2012 |
| Location | Muker. Keld, Birk Hill Scars and woodland on south bank of the Swale below track to Kisdon High Force |
| Civil Parish | Muker |
| Brit. National Grid | NY 8975 0094 |
| Altitude | 330m-360m |
| Geology | Vertical north facing cliffs and talus slopes below.Upper reaches of Kisdon Gorge cut by the Swale through Main and Underset Limestones |
| Record Name | Birk Hill Scars above Kisdon Falls. Limestone ashwood with aspen, yew and juniper. |
| Record Description | Species rich limestone ashwood with aspen, yew, juniper, wych elm, hazel,sallow, rowan,elder,rose and a rich ground flora in north facing woodland above the River Swale. Several ancient yews and wych elms on the face of sheer limestone cliffs. Many old birches, bird cherries and hazel coppices on the talus slopes below.
Aspen clones in a species rich ashwood community with ancient wych elms on the top edge of the upper cliff.
On the opposite side of the gorge, stunted oaks (Qu. robur here) are present on the chert strata overlying the limestone at the top edge of the cliffs. Oak is absent from the North Facing cliffs.
Holly appears to be absent from these woods.
Among the ground flora, melancholly thistle is prominent.Harts tongue fern grows on the limestone cliff and mossy saxifrage is present on the scree slopes.
See also Record No 379 for the woodland on the upper cliff at Birk Hill. |
| Dimensions | See photofile |
| Geographical area | Upper Swaledale |
| Species | Aspen, juniper, yew, wych elm, gean. |
| Scientific Name | |
| Common / Notable Species | |
| Tree and / or Stem Girth | |
| Tree: Position / Form / Status | |
| Tree Site ID | 0 |
| Associated Site SWAAG ID | 0 |
| Additional Notes | The single juniper is on a detached block of chert strata with an estabished acidic vegetation, see photos. |
| Image 1 ID | 3347 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 1 Description | River Swale in woodland above Kisdon High Falls. |  |
| Image 2 ID | 3348 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 2 Description | Fallen limestone block in bed of River Swale above Kisdon High Falls. |  |
| Image 3 ID | 3349 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 3 Description | The Upper Falls. |  |
| Image 4 ID | 3350 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 4 Description | View towards Keld from footpath above Birk Hills upper scar with yews, aspen, birch and wych elm. |  |
| Image 5 ID | 3351 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 5 Description | Birk Hills upper scar with aspen. |  |
| Image 6 ID | 3352 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 6 Description | Wych elms, both alive and dead at top of Upper Scar. |  |
| Image 7 ID | 3353 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 7 Description | Wych Elm, detail of the base of this ancient self or wind coppiced tree. |  |
| Image 8 ID | 3366 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 8 Description | Isolated juniper with rowan, birch and bird cherry on detached block of chert strata in scree. |  |
| Image 9 ID | 3355 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 9 Description | View down towards the Kisdon Gorge. |  |
| Image 10 ID | 3357 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 10 Description | Birk Hills. Upper cliff from below with yews, aspen, birch and wych elm. |  |
| Image 11 ID | 3358 |
| Image 11 Description | Ancient yew with exposed trunk which supports the large fallen trunk of a Wild Cherry. There are very few wild cherry (Prunus avium) trees in Upper Swaledale. On the other hand Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) are frequent in most ravines. |  |
| Image 12 ID | 3359 |
| Image 12 Description | Ancient yew with exposed trunk, detail of the base of this extraordinary tree which grows on the cill face. Showing dead, petrified roots of an earlier tree of many centuries in age supporting a 'young offspring, above. |  |
| Image 13 ID | 3360 |
| Image 13 Description | Typical yew on top edge of cliff. |  |
| Image 14 ID | 3361 |
| Image 14 Description | Vegetation on face of the lower cliff. |  |
| Image 15 ID | 3362 |
| Image 15 Description | Harts-tongue fern on face of cliff. |  |
| Image 16 ID | 3363 |
| Image 16 Description | Old hazel 'trees' by the Swale |  |
| Image 17 ID | 3364 |
| Image 17 Description | Detail of last |  |
| Image 18 ID | 3365 |
| Image 18 Description | Prostrate Bird Cherries like this are frequent in most ravines in Swaledale and usually windblown but very much alive. |  |
| Image 19 ID | 3367 |
| Image 19 Description | Detached stack at base of cliff which has survived a recent rock fall. |  |
| Image 20 ID | 3368 |
| Image 20 Description | Detached stack at bse of cliff which has survived a recent rock fall, but seems to have moved away since the last photo was taken... |  |
| Image 21 ID | 3369 |
| Image 21 Description | Woodland with downy birch. |  |
| Image 22 ID | 3370 |
| Image 22 Description | Detail of the base of a very ancient coppiced birch tree. |  |
| Image 23 ID | 3371 |
| Image 23 Description | The recent rock fall. This fall has carried down several trees from the cliff. |  |
| Image 24 ID | 3372 |
| Image 24 Description | The Upper Falls, the end of the footpath and end of this photopicture of a fine native Swaledale Wood. |  |
