Baldersdale Woodlands

Baldersdale Woodlands is a Site of Special Scientific Interest[1] in the Teesdale district of south-west County Durham, England. It consists primarily of ancient, semi-natural woodland growing on steep valley slopes, including scree, on both banks of the River Balder over a stretch of some 3 km, upstream (i.e. west) of the village of Cotherstone. The site has a rich faunal assemblage and the woodland and associated stretch of the river is home to a variety of birds, including dipper and goosander.

Baldersdale Woodlands
Location of Baldersdale Woodlands SSSI, Co Durham
LocationTeesdale, North East, England
Coordinates54°34′32″N 2°0′47″W
Area19.6 ha (48 acres)
Established1991
Governing bodyNatural England
WebsiteMap of site

In part, the site derives its importance from the proximity of similarly protected sites in other valleys in the River Tees catchment area; the Shipley and Great Woods SSSI occupies a similar position in the valley of the Tees immediately north of Cotherstone.[2]

The condition of the site was last assessed by Natural England in September 2009, when it was mostly rated as "favourable"; a small area, just over 10 percent of the total area, is suffering from cattle grazing but was rated as "recovering".[3]

References
  1. Drought plan for North East region Dales area (PDF), Environment Agency, United Kingdom, archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2010, retrieved 16 August 2010
  2. "Baldersdale Woodlands" (PDF). English Nature. 1991. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  3. "Condition of SSSI units". Natural England. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
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