Methven Woods

Also within

Perth and Kinross County

Condition (NatureScot)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Description

Methven Woods Methven Woods is an area of mixed deciduous woodland 3km north west of Perth. The site is important for its lowland mixed broadleaved woodland which consists of stands of oak, ash and alder dominated woodland, and its species-rich invertebrate assemblage. The wood is a surviving section of the ancient Old Wood of Methven, a much larger deciduous woodland with a recorded history going back to the 13th century. The ground flora is relatively species rich and contains a number of plants which are of local distribution, including bryophytes which grow on trees and on lime-rich substrates. Much of the wood would have been managed as hazel or oak coppice with oak standards up to the 19th century and evidence of this management remains. It is the largest example of this woodland type in west Perth & Kinross. The invertebrate assemblage present is characteristic of deciduous woodlands and includes rare and notable species of beetles, moths, spiders and flies, some of which are particularly associated with dead and dying wood.