Lanarkshire woodlands have been included in a nationwide network of ancient woodlands and trees dedicated to The Queen.
This week, The Queen’s Green canopy announced the network of 70 ancient woodlands and 70 ancient trees across the United Kingdom which will form the Ancient Canopy to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The woodlands of Chatelherault and Hamilton High Parks have been selected for inclusion, and New Lanark Wildlife Reserve is also named on the list.
The initiative was launched by The Prince of Wales who is the patron of The Queen’s Green Canopy, under one of the Ancient Tree dedications – the old sycamore located at Dumfries House.
The chosen woodlands and trees represent the diverse canopy of the four nations and has been established over hundreds of years.
The official list confirming which woodlands will form The Queen’s Green Canopy describes the inclusion of the Chatelherault and Hamilton High Parks woodlands ancient roots.
It reads: "The steeply incised valley of the Avon Water here [Chatelherault] is part of the Clyde Valley Woods National Nature Reserve, its ancient semi-natural woodland a northern form of Oak, Ash, Elm woodland. The Cadzow Oaks here were part of a mediaeval royal hunting forest believed to have been created by King David I of Scotland. Home to a number of nationally rare species, it is now managed as wood pasture; a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat."
The New Lanark Wildlife Reserve is also on the list, it is described as: "Glacial melt waters from the last Ice Age formed the steep-sided gorge today known at the Falls of Clyde. The reserve was a popular destination as part of the Victorian Grand Tour and was visited by famous artists such as Turner and Naysmith, who came to capture the majesty of the reserve’s largest waterfall, Corra Linn. Trees and their root systems here provide a home for enigmatic wildlife like badgers, otters, rare bats, kingfishers, and dippers."
The woodlands include famous specimens and others which have a local significance.
South Lanarkshire Council has expressed delight that parks in the area have been included in the network.
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