Wet woods

This woodland type is widespread across Scotland, associated with wetlands, rivers and lochs. Alder, birch and willow are usually the main tree species present, but many other trees and plants can be found. As these woods can be hard to get into, they are often un-managed and probably represent some of our most "natural" native woods, with a really "wild" feel to them. Wet woodland occurs on poorly drained or seasonally wet ground on a range of soil types from nutrient-rich mineral to acid, nutrient-poor organic soils. By their nature, they occur mainly as small woods or localised patches in larger woods on floodplains, as successional habitat on fens, mires and bogs, along streams and hill-side flushes, and in peaty hollows. As wet woodland combines elements of many other ecosystems, it is an important habitat for many taxa. The high humidity favours bryophyte growth, and a large number of invertebrates are associated with its constituent tree species, alder, birch and willows. Dead wood within this woodland type can be frequent, and its association with water provides specialised habitats not found in dry woodland types - the fly Lipsothrix nigristigma for example is associated with log jams in streams. Wet woodland also often provides cover and breeding sites for otters.

Wet woodland  is a priority habitat in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and two particular types are also protected under the European Habitats Directive: alluvial alderwoods    and bog woodland  .

Visit Whitlaw Mosses NNR  : four wetland jewels tucked into the troughs of the Selkirk landscape. Each site has its own unique feel, ranging from lichen rich willow scrub to open moss carpets, feathery sedge swamps to sweet smelling herb meadows and butterfly favoured grasslands.

Gordon Moss   is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve in the Scottish Borders which is a remnant of a large floodplain mire. The site is dominated by wet, birch-willow floodplain woodland over a range of peatland habitats - rich fen, poor fen, acid bog and fen carr. A wide range of invertebrates and orchid species occurs.

Explore the extensive wet woodland and fen at the Endrick Mouth and Islands (Loch Lomond NNR  ) - NB. a good way to see the wood is from the river!

At the mouth of the River Spey is a completely different kind of wet wood that has developed on shifting river islands; this type of wet woodland is internationally important. The Speyside Way   goes along the river bank and the woodland can be easily appreciated from there.