Coed yr Allt

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Powys County

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Ordovician

Description

Description The site is a good example of mixed deciduous woodland with a range of canopy species and a range of ground flora types reflecting a gradation from acidic to relatively basic soil conditions. Coed yr Allt is a hillside wood of varied slope and pre-dominantly of south-western aspect. It extends from 183 to 244 metres (600 to 800 feet) above sea level. The site is ungrazed and in consequence there is good natural regeneration. The underlying geology is Ordovician shales. The wood is largely high forest hybrid oak grading into ash-oak woodland with sycamore, and with areas of ash-elm and sycamore. Seedling and sapling beech occurs throughout the site and regeneration of oak and ash is also taking place. hazel is the principal component of a well developed shrub-layer, but some hawthorn is also present. Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa occurs and bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. is very abundant, particularly in areas where ash is frequent. The ground layer of the wood is very diverse, reflecting the variations in base status. Heather Calluna vulgaris and bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus occur locally under the pure oak areas, and a bryophyte layer is particularly well developed under the young oaks. Ivy Hedera helix occurs locally as a ground-layer and elsewhere there is a herb-grass layer including species such as false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa, enchanter's-nightshade Circaea lutetiana, wood avens Geum urbanum and dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis.

Species mentioned