2024 -2025 Rusland Valley Rainforest Project Now Active. Cumbria is lucky enough to have one of the last strongholds of ancient temperate rainforest in England. We work to protect and regenerate this precious habitat.
We are partners in the 2024-2025 Special species Survival Fund Project for Cumbria with the grant managed by HFL and funded by DEFRA. Partners include Plantlife (lead), Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Cumbria Woodlands and Cumbria Connect. Plantlife are running volunteer training days in the area so volunteers can learn how to survey for rainforest indicators and measure the health of our woodlands. Local Rusland Valley woodland conservation work parties will begin in Autumn 2024 alongside capital works funded by the grant. Please contact marion.brown@ruslandhorizonstrust.org if you want to get involved in surveys or work parties. All the current in person training events are fully booked but we will run more in Spring 2025.
Cumbria's Temperate Rainforests support some of the richest and most treasured habitats in our beautiful countryside. They contain a treasure trove of veteran trees, butterflies, birds, invertebrates, fungi, as well as valuable moss and lichen species with wonderful names such as Fairy beads, Elf’s ears, and Pixie cups. Specialist surveys in our woodlands have identified key rainforest indicators and much potential but the woods need our help to regenerate and thrive by work parties to help open up the canopy to bring in light, clear holly to encourage a diverse forest floor and remove non native species that shade out key habitat.
Did you know only 1% of the habitat on the entire planet can support Temperate Rainforest? Rare indeed.
Please join us to help our work. Our woodlands are under threat from climate change, disease and non-native species. Their strong roots help prevent downstream flooding and the trunks are host to thousands of species. Many lichen and bryophyte species could hold medical properties that have not even been researched yet. If we lose these precious habitats, they cannot be re-created.