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CITATION ONICH to NORTH BALLACHULISH WOODS and SHORE SITE of SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST Highland (Lochaber)

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CITATION ONICH to NORTH BALLACHULISH WOODS and SHORE SITE of SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST Highland (Lochaber) CITATION ONICH TO NORTH BALLACHULISH WOODS AND SHORE SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST Highland (Lochaber) Site code: 10104 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE: NN 042619 OS 1:50,000 SHEET NO: Landranger Series 41 1:25,000 SHEET NO: Explorer Series 384 AREA: 626.90 hectares NOTIFIED NATURAL FEATURES: Geological: Dalradian Structural and metamorphic geology Biological: Upland habitats Calcium-rich springwater-fed fens Biological: Woodland Upland mixed ash woodland Biological: Woodland Upland oak woodland DESCRIPTION: Onich to North Ballachulish Woods and Shore SSSI is characterised by an extensive area of broad-leaved, semi-natural woodland, unusual mire communities and Dalradian rocks situated at the end of the peninsula formed by the eastward projection of Loch Linnhe, where it joins Loch Leven. The underling geology is complex and is composed of bands of Dalradian slates, schists, limestones and quartzite. The woods are of ecological interest both for their extent and for the variation in structure and flora, which they exhibit as a reflection of the site’s varied topography, aspect and underlying geology. The upland habitats include an unusual mosaic of mires and heaths and support particularly diverse alkaline fens. The SSSI encompasses two localities important for interpreting the structure and development of Dalradian rocks, a series of rocks between 750 and 600 million years old, which lie between the Highland Boundary Fault and the Great Glen Fault and which, for the most part, were derived from marine sediments. The dry gorge of Dubh-ghlac and adjacent rock outcrops exhibit exceptionally well- exposed sedimentary structures within the Dalradian ‘Appin Quartzite’. In particular, these include a variety of different types of ripple marks. The site is one of the few localities where Dalradian sedimentary structures are well exposed and is important in providing information about the environment in which the rocks of the Dalradian were deposited. The shore of Loch Linnhe in front of Onich contains a series of coastal rock exposures providing the best cross-section through the Ballachulish sub-group of the Dalradian. Minor and medium scale deformation structures and a variety of depositional features within the rock are well exposed. These small-scale features are important in enabling the determination of the ‘Appin Syncline’, which is the major structure of the area’s geology, and in determining the environment at the time of the deposition of the Ballachulish sub-group. This use of minor structures to elucidate the major structure of an area was pioneered at this site using methods now applied world-wide. The woodland covers over 200ha of south, west and north facing slopes and extends from sea level to a height of approximately 400 metres. It is one of the largest expanses of native woodland within the south of Lochaber and comprises both variations of oak woodland and ash woodland on rocky slopes. Much of the woodland is ancient or long-established semi-natural in origin. Transitions between mature woodland and open ground habitats are well represented and there are areas where the woods are spreading through natural regeneration. The woods comprise a mix of downy birch, rowan, sessile oak, hazel, holly and ash in differing proportions. The ground flora is equally variable, ranging from predominantly grassy, with sweet vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum and wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa particularly abundant, to a heathy ground flora, dominated by heather and blaeberry Vaccinium myrtillus, or mossy with some species forming deep mats. The structure of the wood reflects aspect, slope and drainage, resulting in an extremely rich ground flora. The woods also support a well-developed lichen flora on the trees and a rich assemblage of base-rich dependent mosses and liverworts, both of which add to the interest of this woodland. The underlying base-rich rocks have given rise to significant areas of Calcium-rich springwater-fed fens, a habitat which is uncommon in Lochaber and no other site in the south of Lochaber has the same extent or shows the wide range of influences of ground conditions on species composition so clearly. Some of the fens are species- rich, with globeflower Trollius europaeus and grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris abundant. Also found are flush specialists such as broad-leaved cotton grass Eriophorum latifolium, black bog-rush Schoenus nigricans, Alpine meadow-rue Thalictrum alpinum and Scottish asphodel Tofieldia pusilla in unusual abundance in some places. NOTIFICATION HISTORY: This is a new site. Notified under the Nature Conversation (Scotland) Act 2004 on 18 April 2008 This site encompasses Onich Shore and Onich Dry Gorge SSSIs, which were originally notified under the 1949 Act for their geological interest. REMARKS Part of Onich to North Ballachulish Woods and Shore SSSI is designated as Onich to North Ballachulish Woods Special Area of Conservation for the European habitats listed below: Habitats: Alkaline fens Old sessile oak woods with Ilex and Blechnum in the British Isles Tilio-acerion forests on slopes, screes and ravines .
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