The area known as the Crostan was once a former pitmound of mining waste – the name derives from craw meaning waste and stan meaning stone. It is distinctive in being one of the few Gorge woodlands where pine is the principal tree species. The Scots Pine and Corsican Pine trees date back to the 1930s, an era of significant hardship and unemployment. The trees were planted on the site by unemployed workers who had been given the job as a way of earning a little money. Through its future management programmes in the wood, the Trust intends ensuring that pine trees continue to grow here.
Two small but important areas of heathland occur at the southern end of the Crostan, where plants such as heather and bilberry are to be found, as well as the occasional reptile, such as adder and slow-worm. The Trust regularly clears young tree seedlings from these areas to maintain the open, sunny conditions that they require.
For more information you can view the management plan .