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Management plan
Progress so far Since 1996, entrance and path-works, including an all-abilities loop, have upgraded access to the wood. In 1998, a second woodland, Kilmagad Wood, was purchased by the community in association with the Woodland Trust. This is linked to Portmoak Moss by a circular walking route, the Tetley Trail. In 2004 and 2005 major felling of the old commercial plantation on the raised moss was completed. Damming of the drainage ditches has raised the water table. In 2008 a third area of land was purchased. This is lower on the hillside than Kilmagad Wood, running from the road up to Kilmagad. For many years it has provided rough grazing - our plan is to plant it with trees and include paths and viewing areas in it, leading the way higher up the hill.
What will happen next On Portmoak Moss, the branches and smaller stems left after the felling are called brash. It can a look bit of a mess but actually it is a good place for wildlife and is important in the regeneration process. Large numbers of invertebrates, like wood-boring beetles, make their homes in brash, as do small mammals and some birds. The brash is slowly being broken down by fungi and insects which in turn become part of the food chain, greatly increasing the bio-diversity of the Moss. The water level has risen, as planned, and eventually this will limit the regeneration of unwanted species and favour bogland species. The current battle is to keep birch from overrunning the cleared ground - this is achieved by a campaign each summer, but we hope that after several years there will be no more viable seeds in the ground.
Planting on the newly acquired field will take place in 2009/10 and we expect that much of it will be done by local children. There will be consultation with the local community on how the field should be developed.
Portmoak Moss leaflet The Woodland Trust Scotland have produced a leaflet on Portmoak Moss. Download here. (860 KB .pdf)
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