Site Code
Country: United Kingdom
Central coordinates: 50.82119361o [50o 49' 16" North], -4.25902754o [4o 15' 32" West]
Administrative region: South West (North Devon)
Area: 27 ha
Altitude: 124 - 161
Site Description
Dunsland Park lies within a shallow north-south valley of a tributary of the River Torridge, at an altitude of 100-160 m; it overlies Carboniferous shale and sandstone.The site comprises a parkland with a variety of trees, including 700 year-old Sweet Chestnuts (Castanea sativa), ancient oak (Quercus spp.), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Lime (Tilia spp.), together with an area of flooded Alder (Alnus glutinosa) carr. The park is also home to a range of old fruit trees, such as ‘Landkey Yellow’, ‘Listener’, ‘Johnny Voun’ and ‘Devon Quarrendon’. These habitats, in association with the undisturbed nature of the site, and the high humidity of the carr woodland, have allowed the development of a very rich lichen flora: at least 163 species have been recorded, of which over 40 are indicative of a long-continuity of woodland cover. The Lobarion community is very well developed within the park, whilst older trees support the Lecanactideum premneae community, on trees too old to support Lobaria spp.Ancient parklands are rare within and European context, with the British Isles support the vast majority of the resource. Originating from Mediaeval and Tudor times there main purpose was to provide a source of food and fuel for their owners. They often encompassed areas of ‘waste’ including ancient woodland. The sites selected have been chosen for the large number of old forest lichen species listed on the New Index of Ecological Continuity (NIEC) 47/70 and the East Scotland Index of Ecological Continuity (ESIEC), and represent the geographical differences between the more oceanic types from Cornwall, Devon, Wales and Scotland and the more lowland types from Dorset eastwards.
Botanical Significance
Noted for lichen interest.
Rare and threatened species present within the sites selected include: Anaptychia ciliaris (VU), Bacidia incompta (VU), Enterographa sorediata (E, VU, IR), Lecanographa amylacea (VU, IR), L. lyncea (IR), Lobaria amplissima (IR), Opegrapha prosodea (NT, IR) and Wadeana dendrographa (NT, IR).
Management guidance notes
None
Notes
Noted for lichen interest