Magus Muir/ Bishop’s Wood
The Trust purchased the 12.4 hectare woodland from Fife Council in August 2016. Fife Council had created the East Fife Millennium Woodland in 2000 using funding from the National Lottery to buy the site from Mount Melville Estates. In 2015 Fife Council decided the site was now surplus to needs and decided to sell it off. The Community Council and the Community Trust negotiated a deal that would ensure that the site would remain in the public domain subsequently with the generous support of Trust members, the Trust purchased the site for a nominal price of £500.
The Woodland is predominantly self seeded birch which has established itself since the great storm of 1968 , which destroyed most of the original spruce woodland. The remainder of the original woods can be seen on the east side of the road. The Forestry Commission has described the Bishop’s Wood as one of the best examples of natural birch woodland in Fife and a rich habitat for flora and fauna.
A memorial erected in 1877 to mark the murder of Archbishop Sharp by Covenanters in 1679, is located on the west side of the woodlands, close to the grave site memorial for the Covenanters executed for the murder. This site is located some 20 yards into the field on the western perimeter of the woods. |
The Trust was fortunate that Tony Wilson, who had been involved in the creation of the Millennium Woodland, was able to take on the role of Woodland Manager. Tony, a lecturer at Elmwood College, Cupar, is able to use the Woodland as an outdoor classroom for his students. The Trust is very appreciative of the work carried out by the students as part of their Woodland management studies.
With the financial support of St.Andrews Community Trust we have created an educational area in the south western area of the woods. Local nursery and primary school groups and the college students make use of this facility throughout the year. |
We have formed a wood fuel group to log the wind blown trees. We store the bagged logs until they have dried out and these can be purchased during the winter.
There was a storm in the winter of 2019/2020 that caused flooding in the woods and washed away some of the main pathways. We gained lottery funding to replace the paths, enlarge the car park, develop the education area, and dig new ditches to cope with any future heavy rainfall, a wonderful effort by a large number of volunteers. So far, again with the help of our members who have maintained the ditches, no further flood damage has occurred.
In November 2021 Storm Arwen blew down many trees in the north of the wood. The area was made safe the very next day by member volunteers. We are using some of the wind blown timber for our wood fuel project, other is being left to increase the biodiversity of the wood.
At the start of 2022 with the help of villagers and the village cub pack, we planted 150 native trees, supplied by the Woodland Trust, in the northern section. These are being maintained by members and the village cub pack.
In 2023 we completed a successful project linked to the St. Andrews “Active Way” initiative whereby we improved pedestrian access to the wood from the village.
The Trust is grateful to the assistance it receives from the members to maintain and develop this valuable community asset.
Biodiversity Listing of Magus Muir (courtesy of Tony Wilson, Elmwood College)
