'Rainforest' on our doorstep

| Ancient woodland could now be reclassified to protect wildlife, writes Local Democracy

- Chris Gee

A PATCH of ancient woodland north of Bolton could be the first area of Greater Manchester to be classed as 'rainforest.

Research is going on at the Woodland Trust's Smithills estate, on moors between Bolton and Horwich, close to the Winter Hill TV mast, into whether it is suitable to be described as 'temperate rainforest! Not to be confused with tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest areas have high rainfall and humidity and a low annual variation in temperature.

The habitat of ancient oak, birch, ash, pine and hazel woodland is made even more diverse by open glades, boulders, crags, ravines and river gorges.

Ideal conditions for temperate rainforest are found along, or close to, the UK's western seaboard.