Nature Recovery Fund helps restore Lake District rainforest

Westmorland and Furness Council’s Nature Recovery Fund helps Rusland rainforests

Friends of the Lake District has been awarded £14,900 from Westmorland and Furness Council’s Nature Recovery Fund to support vital restoration work of temperate rainforest in the Rusland Valley.

We have owned and cared for two neighbouring woods in the valley, which lies in a southern part of the Lake District National Park, since 2017. Assessments carried out in conjunction with the charity Plantlife revealed several rainforest indicators within these woods. We’ve worked with volunteers and contractors to do things like species monitoring, veteran tree care, glade creation and invasive-species control – all to improve these habitats.

New Rusland woods

Earlier this year, we were entrusted with additional adjoining woodland in Rusland, expanding our woods there to 72 acres. The woods are ancient semi-natural woodland with a mix of native species including oak, birch, ash, small-leaved lime, holly and yew. This funding will help us continue our survey and restoration work across all the woodland in the area.

Temperate rainforests once covered around 20% of the UK yet today they cover less than 1%. These internationally rare habitats thrive only in very specific conditions of high rainfall, humidity and mild temperatures. Their rich, sheltered microclimates are a globally rare habitat associated with lichens, bryophytes, mosses, liverworts and other specialist species.

Nature Recovery Fund

The Nature Recovery Fund was launched by Westmorland and Furness Council to support projects that help protect and restore local wildlife and habitats. It includes work that supports priority species, pollinators, habitat restoration and control of invasive non-native species.

The money from Westmorland and Furness Council will support our practical work within our Rusland woods. This includes boundary repairs to help make the woods more stockproof against invading sheep and deer; tree works such as invasive beech and sycamore removal and thinning; and bracken control. The aim is to create more sustainable woodland habitats that can support the threatened flora and fauna associated with temperate rainforests.

A better future for rainforests

Dr Jan Darrall, land manager at Friends of the Lake District, said: “This support from Westmorland and Furness Council’s Nature Recovery Fund will help us take the next important steps in restoring and protecting our woodland in the Rusland Valley. These woodlands are home to rare temperate rainforest species and have enormous potential for nature recovery. By combining careful habitat work with volunteer and community involvement, we can give this precious landscape a stronger, healthier future.”

If you fancy coming along to our Rusland rainforest volunteer workparty on Tuesday 6 October you can sign up here!