__NOTOC__ Briarwood Banks is the name given to a woodland

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI) in north

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

. Composed mainly of elm, oak and ash, the site is semi-natural and now recovering from the removal of planted

conifers Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

Location and natural features

Briarwood Banks is situated in the south-west of the county of Northumberland, some south-south-east

Bardon Mill Bardon Mill is a small village in Northumberland, within the vicinity of the ancient Hadrian's Wall. It is located around from Hexham, from Carlisle, and from Newcastle upon Tyne. Nearby landmarks include Allen Banks & Staward Gorge, Syca ...

and west south-west of

Haydon Bridge Haydon Bridge is a village in Northumberland, England, which had a population of 2,184 in the 2011 census. Its most distinctive features are the two bridges crossing the River Tyne, River South Tyne: the picturesque original bridge after which ...

. The site occupies the banks of a fan of north-east running tributaries of the north-running River Allen including Farnalees Burn, Black Sike and Kingswood Burn, and its north-east boundary is formed by the Allen. The designated woodland area is in length and up to wide, covering and falling from above sea level in the south-west to at the Allen confluence. It is one of a number of SSSIs on the River Allen; to the south are Stewardpeel Woods starting upstream and the Allen Confluence Gravels some upstream.

Vegetation

A number of distinct assemblages of flora are observed at Briarwood Banks. Dominant on lower slopes is wych elm (''

Ulmus glabra ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reach ...

''), beneath which are found dog’s mercury (''

Mercurialis perennis ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.Galium odoratum ''Galium odoratum'', the sweet woodruff or sweetscented bedstraw, is a flowering perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to much of Europe. It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage. Description A herbaceous ...

''), wood melick ('' Melica uniflora''), giant bellflower (''

Campanula latifolia ''Campanula latifolia'', the giant bellflower, is a species of Campanula, bellflower in the family Campanulaceae. It is also known as the large campanula and the wide-leaved bellflower. It is native to Europe and western Asia and is widely grown ...

''), enchanter’s nightshade (''

Circaea lutetiana ''Circaea lutetiana'', known as broad-leaved enchanter's nightshade, is a plant in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae. The genus name comes from the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology and the specific designation is derived from Lutetia, ...

'') and wood avens (''

Geum urbanum ''Geum urbanum'', also known as wood avens, herb Bennet, colewort, clove root and St. Benedict's herb (Latin: ''herba benedicta''), is a perennial plant in the rose family (Rosaceae), which grows in shady places (such as woodland edges and near ...

''). Oak (''

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an un ...

'') predominates the higher slopes with creeping soft-grass (''

Holcus mollis ''Holcus mollis'', known as creeping soft grass or creeping velvet grass, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is native to Europe and north Africa. Description ''Holcus mollis'' is a rhizomatous perennial grass fou ...

''), false brome (''

Brachypodium sylvaticum ''Brachypodium sylvaticum'', commonly known as false-brome, slender false brome or wood false brome, is a perennial grass native to Europe, Asia and Africa. Its native range includes most of Europe, northwestern Africa, Sudan and Eritrea, Wester ...

''), wood sorrel (''

Oxalis acetosella ''Oxalis acetosella'', the wood-sorrel or common wood-sorrel, is a herbaceous rhizome, rhizomatous flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae. The Botanical name, specific epithet ''acetosella'' refers to its sour taste. The common name wood-sorr ...

'') and broad buckler-fern ('' Dryopteris dilatata''); and on very acid soil beneath oaks, great wood-rush (''

Luzula sylvatica ''Luzula sylvatica'', commonly known as greater wood-rush or great wood-rush, is a perennial flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae. Description ''Luzula sylvatica'' is the largest woodrush, with stems high. It forms clumps of bright gr ...

''), bilberry (''

Vaccinium myrtillus ''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a Holarctic realm, holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. It is more precisely called common bilberr ...

'') and common cow-wheat (''

Melampyrum pratense ''Melampyrum pratense'', the common cow-wheat, is a plant species in the family Orobanchaceae. The seed of the plant has an elaiosome, which is attractive to wood ants (''Formica'' spp.). The ants disperse the seeds of the plant when they take ...

'') are found. Ash (''

Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Alb ...

'') is found site-wide, together with occurrences of downy birch (''

Betula pubescens ''Betula pubescens'' (syn. ''Betula alba''), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern Asia ...

''), bird cherry (''

Prunus padus ''Prunus padus'', known as bird cherry, hackberry (unrelated to the genus ''Celtis''), hagberry, or Mayday tree, is a flowering plant in the Rosaceae, rose family. It is a species of cherry, a deciduous small tree or large shrub up to tall. It ...

''), yew (''

Taxus baccata ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family (botany), family Taxaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe and Southern Europe, as well as Northwest Africa, and parts of Southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Bri ...

'') and alder (''

Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family (biology), family Betulaceae, native plant, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. ...

''). Beech (''

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the Fagaceae, beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' i ...

'') and sycamore (''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind an ...

'') in the woods are thought to survive from a historic management regime. Shrubs found in the woods include hazel (''

Corylus avellana ''Corylus avellana'', the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch tree, birch family Betulaceae. The shrubs usually grow tall. The nut is round, in contrast to the longer Corylus maxima, filbert nut. Common hazel is native to E ...

''), holly (''

Ilex aquifolium ''Ilex aquifolium'', the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest As ...

'') and hawthorn (''

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

''). Rocky outcrops on the site support hard shield-fern (''

Polystichum aculeatum ''Polystichum aculeatum'', the hard shield-fern, is an evergreen fern native to Europe. It is most abundant in upland regions of the British Isles and western France, where it benefits from the combination of mild winters and moist summers, but ...

'') and hart’s-tongue (''

Phyllitis scolopendrium ''Asplenium'' is a genus of about 700 species of ferns, often treated as the only genus in the family Aspleniaceae, though other authors consider ''Hymenasplenium'' separate, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, a different ...

''). By contrast, wet flushes on the site support giant fescue (''

Festuca gigantea ''Lolium giganteum'', giant fescue, is a woodland grass that grows on neutral to base-rich soils, often near streams or other damp places. It is native to Europe and much of Asia and has been introduced to parts of North America. Most publicati ...

''), tufted hair-grass (''

Deschampsia cespitosa ''Deschampsia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries.Ajuga reptans ''Ajuga reptans'' is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, carpet bugle, and common bugle, and traditionally, (however less commonly) as St. Lawrence plant. It is an herbaceous plant, herbaceous f ...

''), yellow pimpernel (''

Lysimachia nemorum ''Lysimachia nemorum'', the yellow pimpernel, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. Description ''Lysimachia nemorum'' is an evergreen creeping perennial herbaceous plant growing up to about 40 cm. The bright green leaves are ...

'') and meadowsweet (''

Filipendula ulmaria ''Filipendula ulmaria'', commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near East and Middle East). It has ...

''). Dark and damp areas of the woodland give rise to rare lichens such as ('' Biatorella monasteriensis''), ('' Lobaria laetevirens'') and ('' Leptogium teretiusculum''), as well as mosses and ferns including epiphytic polypody (''

Polypodium vulgare ''Polypodium vulgare'', the common polypody, is an evergreen fern of the family Polypodiaceae. The name is derived from Greek ''poly-'' ("many") and ''pous, podos'' ("foot"). Polypody has traditional uses in cooking for its aroma and sweet t ...

'') and oak fern (''

Gymnocarpium dryopteris ''Gymnocarpium dryopteris'', the western oakfern, common oak fern, oak fern, or northern oak fern, is a deciduous fern of the family Cystopteridaceae. It is widespread across much of North America and Eurasia. It has been found in Canada, the Un ...

''). Other plant species noted are rare wood fescue (''

Festuca altissima ''Festuca altissima'', also known as the wood fescue, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Poaceae. It was first described in 1789. Its native range is Europe to Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical ...

'') found amongst moss on

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

s, mountain pansy (''

Viola lutea The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bow (music), bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto v ...

'') on alluvial deposits on the bank of the Allen; and reflecting the influence of

heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals is a controversial and ambiguous term for metallic elements with relatively h ...

leachate A leachate is any liquid that, in the course of passing through matter, extracts soluble or suspended solids, or any other component of the material through which it has passed. Leachate is a widely used term in the environmental sciences wh ...

from the Northern Pennine Orefield, alpine penny-cress (''

Noccaea caerulescens ''Noccaea caerulescens'' (previously ''Thlaspi caerulescens''), the alpine penny-cress or alpine pennygrass, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in Scandinavia and Europe. Description ''Noccaea caerulescens'' is a low bi ...

'') is found. The condition of Briarwood Banks was judged to be 'unfavourable-recovering' in 2010 & 2012 inspections, as actions to remove non-native species and exclude grazing take effect.

Fauna

Northumberland Wildlife Trust Northumberland Wildlife Trust was established in 1971 (following a split from the ''Northumberland & Durham Trust'', established 1962) to help conserve and protect the wildlife of Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside in the UK ...

asserts that the woods are one of the most northerly habitats for

dormice A dormouse is a rodent of the family (biology), family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their ...

. Other species associated with the woods include roe deer and

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...

. Bird species include the

pied wagtail The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has ...

and the

greater spotted woodpecker The great spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocopos major'') is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found acros ...

Access

Northumberland Wildlife Trust manages of the site as a nature reserve with full public access, including provision for wheelchair users.

References

External links

Natural England
SSSI record for Briarwood Banks *{{usurped,
Briarwood Banks Nature reserve
} - Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Briarwood Banks - access guide
- Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Briarwood Banks - map and walking guide
- Natural England Forests and woodlands of Northumberland Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Northumberland Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1955