This article gives an overview of the woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
The woodland and scrub communities of the NVC were described in Volume 1 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1991.
In total, 25 woodland/scrub communities have been identified, consisting of 19 woodland communities, four communities classed as scrub and 2 as underscrub.
The woodland communities consist of:
Six mixed deciduous or oak/birch woodland communities, which between them are found throughout BritainThree Beech woodland communities, found mainly in southern EnglandA Yew woodland community, almost completely restricted to southeast England (community W13)A Scots Pine woodland community, restricted to ScotlandA Juniper woodland community (community W19)Seven wet woodland communities, characterised by the presence of alder, birch and willows (communities W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6 and W7).Communities of arctic-alpine willowsThe scrub communities consist of:
Communities consisting of shrubs such as hawthorn, blackthorn and elderGorse and broom scrubThe underscrub communities consist of bramble and bracken underscrub.
A further scrub community, SD18, dominated by Sea Buckthorn, is classified among the sand-dune communities.
List of woodland and scrub communities
The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:
W1 Salix cinerea - Galium palustre woodlandW2 Salix cinerea - Betula pubescens - Phragmites australis woodlandW3 Salix pentandra - Carex rostrata woodlandW4 Betula pubescens - Molinia caerulea woodlandW5 Alnus glutinosa - Carex paniculata woodlandW6 Alnus glutinosa - Urtica dioica woodlandW7 Alnus glutinosa - Fraxinus excelsior - Lysimachia nemorum woodlandW8 Fraxinus excelsior - Acer campestre - Mercurialis perennis woodlandW9 Fraxinus excelsior - Sorbus aucuparia - Mercurialis perennis woodlandW10 Quercus robur - Pteridium aquilinum - Rubus fruticosus woodlandW11 Quercus petraea - Betula pubescens - Oxalis acetosella woodlandW12 Fagus sylvatica - Mercurialis perennis woodlandW13 Taxus baccata woodlandW14 Fagus sylvatica - Rubus fruticosus woodlandW15 Fagus sylvatica - Deschampsia flexuosa woodlandW16 Quercus spp. - Betula spp. - Deschampsia flexuosa woodlandW17 Quercus petraea - Betula pubescens - Dicranum majus woodlandW18 Pinus sylvestris - Hylocomium splendens woodlandW19 Juniperus communis ssp. communis - Oxalis acetosella woodlandW20 Salix lapponum - Luzula sylvatica scrubW21 Crataegus monogyna - Hedera helix scrubW22 Prunus spinosa - Rubus fruticosus scrubW23 Ulex europaeus - Rubus fruticosus scrubW24 Rubus fruticosus - Holcus lanatus underscrubW25 Pteridium aquilinum - Rubus fruticosus underscrub