'Tactical' land will 'glue' Ramsey glens with neighbouring forests

Crossags Coppice forms part of MWT's 'Wilder Future'

The Manx Wildlife Trust has bought a section of land which will link a network of glens and woodlands together in the north of the Island.

As part of the ongoing Ramsey Forest Project, the trust has acquired the 'tactical' plot of Crossags Coppice.

The five-acre site, renowned for its spectacular display of bluebells, boasts over a million of the wildflowers which come into bloom in the late spring.

Above: Biodiversity officer Andree Dubbeldam amongst the bracken on the hillside plot. Below: The display of bluebells earlier in the year.

It will now allow for a joining up of the project's woodlands that includes Elfin Glen and Claughbane Plantation.

Prior to securing their newest plot, the trust has worked with the previous landowner and planted over a thousand native tree saplings in the last four years.

As the hazel matures, it will undergo a traditional management style known as coppicing, which was used on the Island in the 20th century, where the kipper industry harvested the wood for skewers in the smoke house.

Listen below to Manx Radio's report from the hairpin forest with biodiversity officer for Manx Wildlife Trust, Andree Dubbeldam:

To learn more about the Ramsey Forest Project, you can hear the 'The Celtic Rainforest' episode from Manx Wildlife Trust's 'Wild Thing' Podcast here.