Coed Cwm Einion is a woodland to the east of the village of Furnace, in

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

, west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It is designated a

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 ...

, covering . The Afon Einion river flows on the northern side of the Coed Cwm Einion woodland.

Flora

The woodland extends up a steep gorge, and is approximately 69% broad-leaved deciduous woodland. A Tilio-Acerion ravine forest, it contains 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 ...

'') and sessile

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

downy birch ''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 ...

trees and the small-leaved lime (''

Tilia cordata ''Tilia cordata'', the small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Other common names include little-leaf or littleleaf linden, or traditionally in South East England, pry or p ...

''). Species found in the woodland include Tunbridge filmy-fern ('' Hymenophyllum tunbrigense''), hay-scented buckler-fern (''

Dryopteris aemula ''Dryopteris aemula'', the hay-scented buckler-fern or hay-scented fern, is a species of perennial leptosporangiate fern. Description ''Dryopteris aemula'' grows as a crown of fronds arising from a short ascending rhizome. The rachis is dark ...

''), '' Plagiochila atlantica'' and '' Parmotrema robustum'', a lichen which is critically endangered, and marsh hawk's-beard ('' Crepis paludosa''). Numerous shrubs found in the wood include,

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...

hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...

and

bramble ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. I ...

and are a food source for birds and mammals such as

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 ...

. Sheep grazing has affected the woodland, particularly on the northern side, and gaps in the canopy affect about 5-10% of the area of the woodland.

Hiking route

There is a hiking route through the area, which passes through Coed Cerrig-mawr and ascends Mynydd Coronwen before descending sharply.

References

{{coord, 52, 32, 4, N, 3, 55, 50, W, type:woodland_region:GB, display=title Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Ceredigion

Flora

Hiking route

See also

References