Work is underway to restore one of Northern Ireland’s rarest and most precious woodland habitats, a temperate rainforest at Lenamore Wood, in Co. Tyrone
The 100-year restoration programme near Gortin in Omagh is being led by nature conservation charity Ulster Wildlife and supported through a long-term partnership with Aviva.
Temperate rainforest, also known as Atlantic Oakwood or Celtic Rainforest, once thrived across Ireland and western Britain, in areas of high rainfall and high humidity.
However, centuries of deforestation have reduced it to less than 1% of its former range.
Temperate rainforest
Volunteers have helped to plant almost 30,000 native Irish trees, such as oak, alder and rowan, on the 41ac site.
According to Ulster Wildlife, this will boost the tiny, rare fragment of ancient woodland that still survives there.
In addition, hundreds of sessile oak acorns from ancient woodland near Gortin were collected under licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
Those young trees will be planted at Lenamore next year, which Ulster Wildife said will help preserve the local genetic heritage of the woodland.
Members of the public had the opportunity to experience the charity’s newest nature reserve first-hand at a recent open day.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir said:
“This project is a powerful example of the importance of increasing woodland cover to enhance biodiversity and provide greater opportunities for people to enjoy the health and well-being benefits of woodlands.
“I am particularly pleased that my department has been able to support this project with over £100,000 through the Forest Expansion Scheme – the largest tree planting grant awarded this year,” he said.
Nature
Temperate rainforest typically has a high number of mosses, lichens and liverworts, small plants that can cover tree trunks and branches, and carpet the floor, along with a range of ferns and other plants.
Rosemary Mulholland, head of nature recovery at Ulster Wildlife, said the charity is proud to be leading the way in temperate rainforest restoration in Lenamore.
“It will provide vital habitat for wildlife in the midst of a nature crisis, store large amounts of carbon, and benefit local communities for generations to come.
“Restoring this incredible habitat will also allow adaptation to climate change, reduce threats from extreme weather, and enable local people to reap the benefits,” she said.
Ulster Wildlife has said that Lenamore Wood Nature Reserve will be open to the public in due course, so people can watch its development over time.
The restoration of this habitat is part of a wider £38 million temperate rainforest recovery programme across the UK, funded by Aviva and led by the Wildlife Trusts.