TREES
The woodlands of the Gleadless Valley contain a mixture of native and non-native trees.

Of the native species, Oak and Birch are particularly widespread, especially on steep dry slopes and dry areas of flatter ground. Ash can be abundant in damper areas of woodland, particularly in valley bottoms and on stream banks. Although Elm was once an important species in these areas, its population has been heavily reduced as a result of Dutch Elm Disease and the only Elms found in the canopy are now dead. Other native trees found in Rollestone Wood include Rowan, Wild Cherry, Alder and Willow, the last two of these being associated with particularly wet areas.

A Beech plantation in Rollestone Wood clearly showing the extent of bare ground on the woodland floor.

The most common non-native trees in Rollestone Wood are Beech and Sycamore. These can be found throughout the wood, although as would be expected, they are particularly associated with its extensive plantation areas. Other non-native species found in the wood are Sweet Chestnut, Larch and Pine.

SHRUBS
The density of shrub layer varies widely between different parts of the woodlands. It is at its most dense in areas of semi-natural woodland and is much less well developed under planted areas of woodland.

Of the shrubs found in the valley, Hazel is the most widespread. Other shrubs include Holly, Hawthorn, Guelder Rose and Blackthorn.


WOODLAND GROUND FLORA
Rollestone Wood has a rich ground flora including a number of locally uncommon species such as Hard Fern, Wood Barley and Smooth-stalked Sedge. There are also a large number of ancient woodland indicators including Yellow Archangel, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel, Bluebell, Great Woodrush, Hairy Woodrush, Ramsons, Golden Saxifrage and Remote Sedge.

As with most of the other woodlands in the valley, the ground flora is richest on the stream banks and other wetter areas where ancient woodland indicator species are joined by species characteristic of wet woodlands such as Ramsons, Golden Saxifrage, Meadowsweet and Valerian. In contrast, there are some very impoverished areas under Beech plantations. Steeper, drier sites tend to be dominated by grasses, in particular Wavy-hair Grass and Creeping Soft-grass, plus Bracken.

MORE INFORMATION
More general information on the plants and trees of the Heritage Woodlands can be found elsewhere on this website.