Pillar and Ennerdale Fells

Pillar and Ennerdale Fells is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Ennerdale, Cumbria, England. Protected for its biological interest, the site is named after Pillar, which at 892 metres (2,927 ft) is the eighth-highest mountain in the Lake District, and other fells in the same range. The area is 425.25 ha.[1]

History

The site was notified in 1991. The site includes Side Wood on the south side of Ennerdale Water, which was formerly part of the adjacent Ennerdale SSSI.[1]

Ecology

Side Wood, which rises from Ennerdale Water, is a good example of an upland birch Betula pubescens – sessile oak Quercus petraea woodland. While there are higher woods in the Lake District,[2] Side Wood is important as an example of altitudinal succession. The vegetation changes from "native upland birch-oak woodland at 120 m" on the shores of the lake, through "sub-montane heaths and grasslands to montane heaths along the summit ridge at an altitude of 890 m".[1]

Above the woodland is gently sloping heathland dominated by heather, bell heather and bilberry; the associated grasses are sheep's-fescue, common bent, mat-grass, tormentil and heath bedstraw. Higher up, bilberry and grasses predominate, while on the summit ridge, where the snow lies late, mosses, sedges, lichens and viviparous fescue occur.[1]

The crags of Pillar, away from grazing sheep, are home to a lush, herb-rich upland ledge community of plants. Breeding birds on Pillar and Ennerdale Fells include buzzard, peregrine falcon, merlin, raven, wheatear, whinchat, ring ouzel and red grouse.[1]

Ennerdale is managed as a rewilding project called "Wild Ennerdale", which was established in 2003. The Wild Ennerdale Partnership gives scope for the management of this site holistically at the landscape scale.[3]

Other measures of protection

The SSSI is one of ten underpinning a Special Area of Conservation, Lake District High Fells, which was designated in 2005.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Site Name: Pillar and Ennerdale Fells" (PDF).
  2. Crumley, J (2021). Lakeland Wild. Crumley discusses the claim of Young Wood, which is on Bowscale Fell (Skiddaw Group SSSI), to be the highest wood in England. It is situated at between 465 m and 485 m.
  3. "Wild Ennerdale SSSI Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  4. European Site Conservation Objectives for Lake District High Fells Special Area of Conservation: Site Code: UK0012960. Natural England. 2014.

54.496°N 3.339°W / 54.496; -3.339

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