Abernethy Forest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Abernethy National Nature Reserve |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Abernethy Forest, with the Cairngorms in the background.
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 Abernethy National Nature Reserve
Location in Highland
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| Location | Strathspey, Highland, Scotland |
| Area | 12,754 hectares |
| Designation | NatureScot |
| Established | 2007 |
| Owner | RSPB & NatureScot |
| Abernethy National Nature Reserve | |
Abernethy Forest is a special place in Scotland, located in an area called Strathspey in the Highland region. It's part of the ancient Caledonian Forest that once covered much of Scotland. You can find it inside the Cairngorms National Park, near villages like Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Aviemore.
This forest is managed by the RSPB, which is a charity that protects birds and nature. It's a great spot for walking, with many trails to explore. Abernethy Forest is also a big part of the larger Abernethy National Nature Reserve.
About 4,000 hectares of the reserve is forest, and almost half of that is made up of native Caledonian pine trees. This makes Abernethy Forest one of the largest remaining areas of this special pine forest in Scotland. It's home to many amazing animals, including birds like the Scottish crossbill, black grouse, crested tit, and osprey. You might also spot mammals like red squirrels, wildcats, and red deer.
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Abernethy National Nature Reserve: A Special Place
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The Abernethy National Nature Reserve (NNR) is huge, covering about 12,755 hectares. This includes most of Abernethy Forest and the land around it. Part of the reserve, called Dell Woods, is looked after by NatureScot, while the rest is managed by the RSPB.
The reserve has grown over time. It started as just the forest part, but in 2007, it became much bigger. Now, it stretches from Abernethy Forest all the way up into the high Cairngorms mountains. This expanded area includes places like Loch A'an and mountains such as Bynack More and Beinn Mheadhoin. The Abernethy NNR is recognized internationally as a special protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Plants and Animals of the Reserve
Abernethy NNR is bursting with life! Over 200 types of plants have been found here. Some are quite rare in Scotland, like the beautiful twinflower and creeping lady's tresses. There's even a plant called Heath cudweed that is considered endangered.
The reserve is a birdwatcher's paradise, with more than 70 different bird species recorded. You can find rare birds like the Scottish crossbill, crested tit, and capercaillie. Other common birds include buzzards, tawny owls, great spotted woodpeckers, and sparrowhawks.
Many mammals also call Abernethy home. You might see red and roe deer, red squirrels, and tiny common pipistrelle bats. If you're lucky, you might spot more shy animals like otters and pine martens. There have even been possible sightings of wildcats! The reserve is also home to fourteen types of butterflies, including the pearl-bordered fritillary, which is a species that needs special protection.
Protecting Abernethy: Conservation Efforts
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The RSPB's main goal at Abernethy is to make the forest bigger. They are working to help new native trees grow naturally and by planting new ones. In 2011, they got permission to plant 60,000 aspen, birch, juniper, and willow trees across a large area. They are also working to improve other habitats like bogs, moorlands, rivers, and mountain areas.
In the past, dead wood was often removed from forests. But now, the RSPB wants to have more dead wood and dead trees in the forest. This is because dead wood is very important for many insects and fungi, which are part of the forest's natural cycle. To help this process, they even used explosives in 2006 to break off the tops of some old pine trees. This might sound strange, but it helps create dead wood quickly, similar to how a storm or lightning might break a tree.
Desmond Dugan, who manages the site for the RSPB, explained that using explosives creates a similar effect to what nature does, like when a tree is snapped by wind or hit by lightning. James Reynolds, another RSPB leader, added that simply cutting down trees wasn't fast enough to create the dead wood habitats needed.
Other Protected Areas in Abernethy
The Abernethy National Nature Reserve is so important that it's also part of several other protected areas in Scotland. This means it has many layers of protection! These include:
- Abernethy Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
- Abernethy Forest Special Protection Area (SPA)
- Cairngorm Lochs Ramsar Site (for important wetlands)
- Cairngorms Site of Special Scientific Interest
- Cairngorms Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
- Cairngorms Special Protection Area
- Cairngorms National Park
- Eastern Cairngorms Site of Special Scientific Interest
- Northern Corries, Cairngorms Site of Special Scientific Interest
- River Spey Special Area of Conservation
The reserve also shares borders with two other national nature reserves: Mar Lodge Estate and Glenmore Forest.
