Temperate Deciduous Woodland
- The UK has several types of natural climax woodland:
- Ancient woodlands - areas that have had tree cover for hundreds of years and undisturbed by human development
- Broadleaf woodlands - trees that do not have needles and are the most common in the UK
- Caledonian forest and native conifer woods - found in mainly in Scotland (most coniferous forests are not native) and species include Scots pine, juniper, birch, willow, rowan and aspen
- Temperate rainforest - very rare in the UK but are found in some coastal areas with high rainfall and humidity and low temperature variations (ravines and gorges)
- Wet woodland - found on wet soils such as floodplains, edges of lakes and rivers
- There are 3 other types of woodland found in the UK, but these are planned and managed woodlands
- Plantation woods - young, fast growing trees, and used for commercial purposes
- Wood pasture and parkland - mixture of habitats - scrub, shrub, dense woodlands and open grass or heather
- Urban woodland - planted to create greenspaces and combines different trees across the urban area
Broadleaf woodlands
- These woodlands are the most common and best adapted to the UK's temperate climate and are classified as temperate deciduous woodlands, with oak, beech and elm being the dominant climax species of trees
- The cycle of shedding and gaining leaves allows the woodland floor and understorey to contain a wide variety of flora and fauna
Climatic differences
- Location, soil, altitude and the availability of water all influence the species that can thrive there
- Woods with oak and birch can flourish in both highland and lowland environments
- These occur on more acidic and infertile soils, often with shrubs such as heather, bilberry and bracken
- Along parts of the western coast of the UK, are the internationally rare temperate oceanic rainforest of oak, oceanic ash and Atlantic hazel
- Native beech woods thrive in chalky soils in southern England and Wales, like those of the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
- Ash woodland grows in areas of limestone and other base-rich soils, with plenty of shrub understory growth
- Willows and dwarf birch grow in mountainous regions