Rainforest rich in rare wildlife being planted in Devon

A temperate rainforest, a magical, wildlife-rich place of mosses, lichens and ferns, is being planted on the slopes above a West Country river, tumbling almost to the doors of one of Britain's most green-minded towns

- Steven Morris

Tree species include sessile oak, birch, rowan, holly, alder, willow and hazel are being introduced to the 30-hectare (75-acre) site above the Dart valley and close to the Devon town of Totnes.

In time, the habitat, also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforest, should become home to mammals such as stoats and pine martens, and threatened birds including wood warblers, redstarts and pied flycatchers.

Wet conditions should support an abundance of mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns - many of which grow on the trees or cover boulders and ravines. The dampness will be ideal for fungi, including globally rare species such as hazel gloves fungus.

The Devon Wildlife Trust is creating the rainforest at a site called Bowden Pillars Farm, a stroll from the centre of Totnes. The forest will take decades - perhaps a century-to grow to maturity but should be worth the wait.