Balmaha-forest

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BalmahaMillenniumForest
Path
follow the posts with this
symbol. they tell you that this
path is part of an exciting
project which is helping
woodlands all over scotland.
enjoy your walk.
rhododendron rMpge
Lookaroundyouandyou’llseeglossy-leaved
rhododendron ponticum
growinghere.Maybeyou’vegot
oneinyourgarden.Theyaddawonderfulsplashofcolourin
latespring,buttakealookatthegroundbeneaththem-
otherplantscan’tgrowintheirdeepshade.
VictoriansintroducedthemfromTurkeyabout150years
agoandnowthey’retakingoverthewoodsandcrowding
outnativewildlife.They’rebeingcutbackaspartofthe
woodland’smanagement.
quiCk fix
Thinkhowmanywaysweusewood–for
building,makingpaperandfurniture.
Around100yearsagoweneededmore
timberthanourwoodlandscouldsupply.
Newforestswereplantedwithquick
growing,non-nativeconiferslikethese
spruceandlarchtrees.
Seed-eatingbirds,likegoldcrest,siskinandcommon
crossbill,havefoundahomehere,butmanyanimalsand
plantshavenot.Nowwhenweplantaforest,wemixblocks
ofconiferswithbroad-leavedtreestohelpwildlife.
BeeCh fest
Beechtreesaren’tnativetoScotland.
Victorianlandlordsintroducedsome
herefromEngland.Theydowellinthe
mildclimateandfree-drainingsoil.
Theirnutsprovideafeastforbirdsand
squirrels,butnoteveryyear.Beech
treesonlyproduceagoodcropofnuts
everyfivetosevenyears.
MuLti-storeY wiLdLife prk
Takeacloserlookatthisoaktree
–it’shometoanamazingrangeof
wildlife.Fromthebottomofitstrunk
tothetopofitscanopythereare
around400speciesofinsectliving
here.Oaktreeshavegrownin
Scotlandforthousandsofyears
allowingmanyplantsandanimalsto
adapttothemforfoodandshelter.
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thepermissionofOrdnanceSurveonbehalfoftheControllerof
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right2011.Allrightsreserved.OrdnanceSurveLicencenumber
100031883
TherepresentationoffeaturesorboundariesinwhichLLTNPAor
othershaveaninterestdoesnotnecessarilimpltheirtrue
positions.orfurtherinformation,pleasecontacttheappropriate
authorit.
Linking oLd nd new
Imagineyouwerethefirstpersontostandherearound
6,000yearsago.Lookoutatthehillsandglens–inevery
directiontherewasforest.Sincethenthewoodlandshave
beenusedandchangedbypeople,butweknowthatthey
wereneverfelledcompletely.Someoftheplantsthatgrow
onthewoodlandfloorcanonlygrowinancientwoodlands.
Theseoakwoodlandsareafragilelinkwith
thepast.
BrCken -
friend or
foe
Brackengrowsnaturallyinthe
woodlandsbutitsometimes
takesoverwhenitgetsthe
chance.Unlikerhododendron,
brackenprovidesasheltered
homeformanysmallinsects
andgrubs.Inthepastpeople
harvestedbrackenforbedding
andcattletrampledthe
shoots.Theykeptitatbay.
Plantslikebluebellsstillgrow
here-theyflowerbeforethe
frondsofbrackenunfurland
blockoutthelight.
Let nture
tke Cre of
itseLf
Thousandsofbeetlesandgrubs
arehardatworkinthisdeadtree.
Theyhelptobreakdownthe
deadwoodandputitsrichness
backintothesoil.It’snature’s
wayofmanagingtheforest.
CoppiCing
wood
new
shoots
the LonesoMe pine
ThissoaringtreeisaScotspine–Britain’sonlylargenative
conifer.ScotspinewerepartoftheGreatCaledonian
Forest.Theywereclearedtogrowcropsandfortheir
timber.Nowtheirbiggestchallengeisregeneration.Until
recently,sheepanddeergrazedontheir
youngsaplingsso,whenanoldtreedied,
therewerenoyoungtreestoreplaceit.
Todaywhenwecutdowna
treewethinkthatit’sgone
forever.That’struefor
conifers,butmost
broadleavedtrees,likeoak,
ashandhazel,don’tdie.
Thestumplivesonand
sendsupnewshoots.This
isthekeytocoppicing,a
typeofrotationalforestry,
whichwasintroducedhere
inthelate1700stoprovide
timberforcharcoalmaking
andbarkfortannin,which
wasusedtosoftenleather.
AttheendofthelastIceAge10,000yearsagothehugeglacier,
whichhadgougedoutLochLomond,melted.Woodlandplants,
likethosearoundyounow,graduallyrecolonisedtheland.As
peoplesettledheretheycutdownthetreesfortimberandfuel.
Inrecentcenturiesthewoodshavebeenplantedagain.
Theslopesaboveyouhavebeendamagedbyfire.Newshoots
arenowgrowing,buttohelpuscareforthewoodlandplease
avoidallriskoffireandpleasedon’tcutdowntrees.
Ifatreefalls
down,unlessit
posesadanger
topeople,itis
lefttorotand
thecycleoflife
beginsonce
more.
You’ve now arrived at Balmaha pier and the end
of Balmaha Millennium forest path - we hope
you’ve enjoyed it.
You’veseenhowpeoplehave
changedthewoodlandsandinturnaffectedthe
plantsandanimalsthatlivehere.
 getting here is esY
BY CYCLe, Bus or Cr
Balmaha is on the West Highland Way, a 95-mile long distance
walk from Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, to Fort
William.
A regular bus service operates from Balloch to Balmaha and
takes about 25 minutes. For information on public transport
services, pick up a copy of
‘ExploringtheNational
Parkbyferry,trainandbus’
. or contact Traveline
Scotland on tel: 0871 200 2233 or
www.travelinescotland.com.
By car, follow the A811 from Balloch or Stirling to Drymen and
then follow the signs to Balmaha. From Glasgow, follow A809
via Bearsden to Drymen, then left on B837 to Balmaha. Parking
is limited on the east side of Loch Lomond, wherever possible
use alternatives such as public transport.
when You’re in the CountrYside pLese
Balmaha
Millennium
ForestPath
ntionL prk
for everYone
Its the nations park. To discover, to explore, to enjoy.
Its all about finding your own space. And then
choosing what you do with it...
There is so much to enjoy in Loch Lomond & The
Trossachs National Park woods and forests, wild
flowers and wildlife watching, watersports, climbing or
just taking in the view.
Theres always something to do. Whether you love
adventure or prefer more passive pastimes, youll find
an activity to suit.
•Keeppetsundercontrolat
alltimes
•Takeyourlitterhome
•Avoidallriskoffire
•Dontpickflowersortake
wildplants
If you would like further information about paths
in the National Park please contact:
National Park Ranger Service
National Park Centre, Balmaha
Tel01389722100
or
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
National Park Headquarters, Carrochan
Carrochan Road, Balloch, G83 8EG
Tel01389722600
email:info@lochlomond-trossachs.org
web:www.lochlomond-trossachs.org
woodLnd wLk
A45minutewoodland
walkonthebanksof
LochLomond
Largeprintversionofthisleaflet
isavailableonrequest
viewpoint
wiLdLife
Printed on recycled paper
LLTNPA/03/11/CCB25,000
lochlomond-trossachs.org
WelcometotheBalmahaMillenniumForestPath
Village...
on the edge
wonderfuL woodLnds
The woodlands here are special. Once woodlands like these
covered most of Scotland, but now they cover only a small area.
The oak woodlands are very old and go most of the way around
the loch. Like rain forests in the tropics, they are home to a
huge variety of plants and animals. A single oak tree may be
home to more than 400 different types of insect. In the
summer the woodlands are filled with the sound of singing birds,
many of which migrate from Africa to enjoy this rich supply of
food.
The woodlands have always been important to the people who
live here. Once they were at heart of the countrys industry.
They provided wood for charcoal, which was used
to smelt iron, and bark for tannin, which was used to soften
leather. The leather was then used to make belts that drove the
machinery of the Industrial Revolution.
Now they are a source of pride to local people and to
the country. They are of international importance
and are protected
by a number of conservation
designations including Site
of Special Scientific Interest,
a National Nature Reserve
and Special Area of
Conservation.
expLoring the forest
The Balmaha Millennium Forest Path is a great place to
find out how these woodlands, and the plants and animals
that live here, reflect the way people have used the woods
for thousands of years.
This mile-long path, which takes 45 minutes to walk at a
leisurely pace, explores the different types of woodlands
around the village, from ancient oakwoods to modern
plantations. The path begins at the back of the car park
(just beneath the slopes of Conic Hill) and travels along
the loch shore to Craigie Fort on the Highland Boundary
Fault. Theres a short, but steep, walk to the summit of
Craigie Fort from where youll get magnificent views of
the oakwoods all along the eastern shores of the loch.
If you want to explore further into the oakwoods, you can
follow the West Highland Way north along the shore.
Alternatively, you can visit Inchcailloch, the densely
wooded island just off shore and which is part of
Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve.
You can reach the island by ferry
from Balmaha and Luss.
the ancient village of Balmaha
lies at the meeting place
between the highlands and the
Lowlands. the highland
Boundary fault passes just
north of the village through
Craigie fort and Conic hill,
marking a change not only in the
landscape, but also in the culture
and the wildlife.
Theruggedlandscapetothenorth
wasneverwellsuitedtogrowingcrops,
buthasbeenwoodedforthousands
ofears.Thevillagemarksthe
startofachainofancientoak
woodlandsthat
almostencircles
theloch.Balmaha
MillenniumorestPath
providesanideal
introductiontothe
woodlandsandthe
peoplewhoshapedthem
anddependedonthem.
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