The Malloch Society survey of Glen Affric, Glen Cannich and Corrimony in May 2001

In May 2001 Trees for Life commissioned a survey by the Malloch Society - a respected group of entomologists - to be carried out on selected aspen stands in Glen Affric, on the RSPB's Corrimony Nature Reserve and in Glen Cannich.

The aim was to discover if any particularly rare insects were present, as their presence would then enable us to prioritise appropriate management of aspen stands within the Trees for Life target area for forest restoration.

Alan Watson Featherstone accompanied Graham Rotheray and Iain MacGowan, two experts from the Society, on one of their survey days, when they found some of these insects' larvae in aspen stands at the eastern end of Glen Affric. The larvae were later raised to adulthood to discover exactly which species they were.

In Glen Affric, a number of Red Data Book species and specialist saproxylic insects were found, including several flies such as Xylota tarda and Systenus pallipes, both of which are Notable species, and Medetera inspissata, which is a Red Data Book 3 (RDB3) species. The presence of the large poplar longhorn beetle Saperda carcharias, another Notable species, was observed from the exit holes which the larvae leave when they come out of an aspen trunk, and the rare aspen bracket fungus Phellinus tremulae was also found on an aspen near Badger Falls.

In Glen Cannich only one aspen-dependent insect species was found, but the greatest diversity of saproxylic species was seen at Corrimony, and this included the fly, Homalocephala biumbratum, which is a Red Data Book 1 (RDB1) species.

The Malloch Society's report also provides recommendations for managing the three sites to benefit the insect fauna present, including measures to facilitate regeneration at existing aspen sites, targeted planting to link sites which are near to each other, and, at Corrimony, ensuring there is a regular supply of dead wood habitat for the insects to live in.

We are grateful to Graham Rotheray and Iain MacGowan of the Malloch Society for carrying out the survey, and to Scottish Natural Heritage, the RSPB and Forest Enterprise for helping to fund the project. With this information we are now able to focus part of our aspen project on restoring the habitat for the saproxylic insects, thereby reweaving another subtle thread in the complex and wonderful ecosystem of the Caledonian Forest.

For further information about aspen, please go to our Aspen Information Resource.