Agriculture
Agriculture is very important to the area where some 800 farms exist. The land has therefore been intensively farmed so a lot of biodiversity (i.e. the variety of life found on earth from microbes to great whales) no doubt has been lost. However, according to the Agricultural Land Classification most of the agricultural land within the Borough has been given a Grade 2 status which indicates a very good quality soil. The soil is well drained, being brown in colour, having formed on basaltic till. Grade 2 land is in fact very valuable for farming and surprisingly a very small percentage of this land exists in our province.
Some of the hedges, which are not intensively managed, that surround many of the farmsteads are quite species rich in terms of flora and fauna. Apart from hawthorn and the occasional ash tree dominating these hedges, other flora present includes bramble, dog rose, lesser celandine and common dog violet. Other more mature trees like Scots Pine, Beech and Sycamore have also been identified in the vicinity of farmyards that are important for nesting birds. Such a resource is vital for providing a source of food for birds, small mammals and invertebrates. The presence of hedges also acts as a wildlife corridor allowing animals to freely move between semi-natural areas.
Two such agricultural areas have been identified within the Borough area: