Baldersdale Woodlands
| Baldersdale Woodlands | |
|---|---|
  Location of Baldersdale Woodlands SSSI, Co Durham | |
| Location | Teesdale, North East, England |
| Coordinates | 54°34′32″N 2°0′47″W / 54.57556°N 2.01306°WCoordinates: 54°34′32″N 2°0′47″W / 54.57556°N 2.01306°W |
| Area | 19.6 ha (48 acres) |
| Established | 1991 |
| Governing body | Natural England |
| Website | Map of site |
Baldersdale Woodlands is a Site of Special Scientific Interest[1] in the Teesdale district of south-west County Durham, England. It consists primarily of ancient, semi-natural woodland growing on steep valley slopes, including scree, on both banks of the River Balder over a stretch of some 3 km, upstream (i.e. west) of the village of Cotherstone. The site has a rich faunal assemblage and the woodland and associated stretch of the river is home to a variety of birds, including dipper and goosander.
In part, the site derives its importance from the proximity of similarly protected sites in other valleys in the River Tees catchment area; the Shipley and Great Woods SSSI occupies a similar position in the valley of the Tees immediately north of Cotherstone.[2]
The condition of the site was last assessed by Natural England in September 2009, when it was mostly rated as "favourable"; a small area, just over 10 percent of the total area, is suffering from cattle grazing but was rated as "recovering".[3]
References[]
- ^ Drought plan for North East region Dales area (PDF), Environment Agency, United Kingdom, archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2010, retrieved 16 August 2010
- ^ "Baldersdale Woodlands" (PDF). English Nature. 1991. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
- ^ "Condition of SSSI units". Natural England. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham
- Forests and woodlands of County Durham