Mapping, monitoring, and protecting ancient and long-established woodland in Ireland

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2024-12Access:
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Ireland. National Parks and Wildlife Service, 'Mapping, monitoring, and protecting ancient and long-established woodland in Ireland', [report], National Parks and Wildlife Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 2024-12, Irish wildlife manuals, No. 153Download Item:
Abstract:
Ireland’s ancient woodlands (areas believed to have remained continuously wooded since at least 1660) are irreplaceable habitats of high biodiversity value. These woodlands can also provide additional ecosystem services (e.g. long-term carbon storage) and often contain features of historical and cultural significance. However, ancient woodlands and long- established woodlands (LEWs - areas that have remained continuously wooded since the first edition Ordnance Survey maps of the 1830s) are now a rare and fragmented feature of the Irish landscape. The provisional inventory of ancient and long‐established woodland in Ireland (Perrin & Daly, 2010) used historic map and text sources in combination with other contextual evidence to assign ancient or possible ancient status to 123 woodland sites across Ireland. However, the provisional inventory focused primarily on relatively large woodlands (>5 ha). Given the small and fragmentary nature of Irish woodlands, it is likely that many ancient and long-established woodlands (ALEWs) are not included in the provisional inventory. In addition,
the current conservation status of ALEWs in Ireland has yet to be evaluated. In this report, the results of a desk-based study on the current state-of-knowledge of ALEWs in Ireland are presented. The overall objective of the study was to assess current conservation status of known ALEWs and to outline the steps necessary for the completion of a national inventory of ALEW in Ireland that includes smaller (<5 ha) woodlands. A review of the provisional inventory of ancient and long‐established woodland (Perrin & Daly, 2010) revealed that only 32% of the area of mapped ALEWs occurs within the current network of protected areas. Conservation assessment information for 75 ALEW sites listed in the provisional inventory is available through Habitats Directive Article 17 monitoring data for Annex I habitats. Forty-six percent of these ALEW sites received an Unfavourable-Bad conservation assessment. The most common negative impacts on the conservation status of ALEWs come from invasive non-native species and overgrazing. A case study of 1830s woodland cover in Co. Leitrim and Co. Kilkenny was completed. To identify and map historic woodland cover at a finer scale than the provisional inventory, all woodlands >0.1 ha in OS first edition maps were digitised in a GIS database. Based on first edition maps, forests covered 1.3% (2,077 ha) of Leitrim in c. 1830, compared to 20.1% today.
1102 ha (53%) of c. 1830s woodland in Leitrim remains wooded today. In Kilkenny, 3.8% (7,860 ha) of the area of the county was wooded compared with a current forest cover of 10%. Only 44% (3487 ha) of the wooded area in c. 1830s remains wooded today. Despite the widespread loss of old woodlands, the overall forest area in Leitrim and Kilkenny has dramatically expanded since the c. 1830s largely due to establishment of non-native conifer plantations. As part of the case study, Down Survey maps (1656-1658) and other 17th and 18th century sources were used to assign ancient status to extant c. 1830s woodlands >0.25 ha in size. In
Leitrim and Kilkenny, 120 and 145 ancient or possible ancient woodland polygons were identified, a total of 270 ha and 877 ha, respectively. A review of current palaeoecological knowledge of ALEWs in Ireland was also conducted to assess the utility of palaeoecological data analysis as a tool for determining woodland ancientness. Palaeoecological evidence can be used to clarify the classification of ancient woodlands and can extend our temporal perspective of these woodlands. However, palaeoecological data are an underused resource and currently provide limited understanding across sites, with only 18 local stand-scale palaeoecological studies conducted in ALEW in Ireland. Despite their ecological, historical, and cultural significance, undesignated ALEWs are at risk of degradation and even deforestation. A formalised approach for the protection, monitoring, and restoration of ALEWs in Ireland is required. Based on the results of a case study in Leitrim and Kilkenny, the majority of ALEWs in Ireland are not recorded in the provisional inventory of ancient and long-established woodland. A full national inventory of ancient and long‐
established woodland in Ireland is required. The inventory should be designed to allow for periodic updates based on best available information. A consistent and repeatable approach to identifying ALEWs in Ireland is proposed in this report. The attribution of ancient woodland status is best supported by multiple lines of evidence. In addition to the interpretation of historic documents and maps, toponymical research, ancient woodland indicator species, palaeoecological data and woodland archaeology should be used to support the assessment of woodland antiquity. As part of a National Inventory of Ancient Woodland, a consistent methodology for assessing sites in the field should be developed.
Corporate name:
Ireland. National Parks and Wildlife ServicePublisher:
National Parks and Wildlife Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and HeritageCorporate name:
Ireland. National Parks and Wildlife ServicePublisher:
National Parks and Wildlife Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and HeritageType of material:
reportCollections
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Ancient woodland, Historical ecology, Forest conservation, Palaeoecology, Palynology, Irish woodlandsISSN:
13936670Metadata
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