The Seepage Area Conclusions

The Seepage Area contains lots of different moisture tolerant plant species that are found nowhere else in the Wet Woodland.   They are different because they prefer the high levels of moisture present.  At ground level, the Seepage Area is dominated by Bulbous Rush (Juncus bulbosa) and Soft Rush (Juncus effusus) both of which are native wet woodland specific species.  Sedges present include Remote Sedge (Carex remota) and Star Sedge (Carex echinata),  a species not found anywhere else at the Woodland Education Centre.   The Seepage area has a comparatively high level of plant diversity with 26 species present in the surveyed quadrats.  Only the Stony Area has more with 27 species.  

Eighty-two percent of the mature trees are Silver Birch (Betula pendula) with small amounts of Willow (Salix sp.), Oak (Quercus sp.) and Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia).  There is only one other specimen of Willow occurring elsewhere in the Wet Woodland.  The only alien species of mature tree is the Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) which makes up just 3% of all the trees.